Hay fever in exam season: what to record in the weeks before, and how exam support works in the UK and US

Exam season can land right in the middle of the grass pollen months, when a blocked nose, sneezing and tired eyes make sleeping and revising harder. If you note how your days and nights really were in the weeks before, you have facts to bring to a conversation about exam support. You can keep that record on paper or in the hay fever diary in Sam; share your approximate location and Sam attaches that day's pollen reading to the entry.

This is general information, not legal advice. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) or exams officer at your school or college, and the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), set the rules for access arrangements; in Scotland, ask your school or college. In the US, ask the testing provider and your school. Rules and evidence requirements change, so always check with them. This text explains how exam support works in both places and why a record helps.

When exam season and pollen season overlap

In England, GCSE, AS and A level exams in 2026 ran between 7 May and 23 June, according to Ofqual. Other UK nations have their own timetables, so check with your own exam body. That sits inside the pollen season, which the Met Office says typically runs from March to September. The NHS says hay fever symptoms tend to be worse from late March to September, especially when it is warm, humid and windy, when the pollen count is highest. If grass pollen affects you, the busiest part of your revision can be the time you feel worst.

The overlap is less fixed in the US, where school and college exam calendars vary widely and pollen varies by region. Still, spring and early summer exams often meet grass and tree pollen head on. When your worst symptoms and your most important study weeks coincide, a note of what happened helps you talk about it.

Why poor sleep and tiredness can get in the way

Allergic rhinitis can bring more than a runny nose. The ACAAI lists reduced focus, sleep problems, fatigue and missed days of work or school among things that can come with it. The NHS includes feeling tired among hay fever symptoms. Some hay fever medicines can add to this: the NHS says some antihistamines can make you very sleepy, and advises talking to a pharmacist about non-drowsy ones if you need to stay clear-headed.

None of this says every hard week of revision is the pollen's fault. But if you sleep badly and revise badly in the same week, the record shows it. That is why the sleep question belongs in your notes. In Sam, sleep from Apple Health sits next to your entry for the same day, when a value exists.

What you record when exam support is in the picture

A doctor writes any medical evidence, and the exam rules decide what happens with the exam itself. To show how the weeks before looked for you, a record beats a memory added later. For each day these points are enough:

• How the day was: good, mild or poor.
• Which symptoms: a blocked nose, sneezing, itchy or watery eyes.
• Whether your sleep was disturbed and your routine or revision suffered.
• What you took or did, such as keeping windows shut or showering after being outside.

An example line: "Thu, 21 May. Poor day. Nose blocked, sneezing, eyes watery. Awake at night. Antihistamine in the morning." That is enough. What counts is that you enter it regularly, not that it looks perfect. If no doctor has confirmed hay fever yet, keep your notes in the symptom diary instead. For a fuller checklist, see what to keep in a hay fever diary.

How exam support works in the UK

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, access arrangements are adjustments made before exams. JCQ describes them as based on evidence of need and how the candidate normally works, and says they help learners with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries access exams without changing what is tested. Your school or college usually handles the process with the exam boards, led by the SENCO or exams officer; JCQ's guidance for schools and colleges, Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments, sets out how, including its online application through the centre. JCQ updated this guidance in March 2026. In Scotland, ask your school or college which arrangements apply to your qualifications.

Separate from that is special consideration. JCQ calls it a different process from access arrangements: it adjusts marks or grades after the exam for candidates affected by temporary illness, injury or other circumstances at the time of assessment. Whether a bad pollen day on the day itself qualifies is for your exams officer and the exam board to decide.

Ask your exams officer or SENCO early, and ask what evidence you would need and by when. Access arrangements depend on the centre and the rules in force that year. More on this process is in exam accommodations for a chronic illness.

How testing accommodations work in the US

In the US, testing accommodations sit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Department of Justice describes them as changes to the regular testing environment. They let a person with a disability show their ability on a standardized or high-stakes exam, such as the SAT or ACT, the GED, or exams for admission to professional or graduate school. Examples include extended time, a distraction-free room, and permission to bring and take medication during the exam.

Under the ADA, a disability is an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, such as learning or concentrating. Whether pollen-season symptoms meet that bar is decided case by case, so ask early. Documentation must be reasonable and limited to the need. It can include recommendations from a qualified professional, proof of past accommodations, or an IEP or Section 504 Plan. The testing entity must respond in time for you to register and prepare.

For exams your own school sets, ask the school's student support or disability office what applies. Whichever route applies, start the conversation early, because evidence and deadlines matter. Your record of the weeks before helps whoever must decide.

Who to ask about support

In the UK, start with your school or college. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the SENCO leads access arrangements, and the exams officer handles the practical side. Your GP writes medical evidence if it is needed. In the US, ask the testing provider for any standardized exam, and your school for in-school exams and any 504 plan or IEP. Legal and specialist advice is available from Citizens Advice in the UK and from disability organisations in the US; they can point you to the right adviser for your situation.

Talk to your doctor as soon as you notice the pollen season is asking more of you. Family support can help too; see the allergic rhinitis caregiver page for guidance.

When to get help right away

Hay fever mostly affects the nose and eyes. In some people the airways react as well. If you notice wheezing, a tight chest, shortness of breath, or swelling of the face or throat, use your local emergency number right away (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US). Sam does not see these signs or judge any symptom. When in doubt, call your doctor or the emergency number instead of waiting. The sleep side of allergic rhinitis is covered in its own guide if that is what makes exam season hardest.

Record the weeks before the exam in Sam and take them as a report

You bring a record to any conversation about exam time, not a memory of how it went.

• Instead of paper: in the hay fever program you mark each day as good, mild or poor, plus nose, eye and sleep symptoms and what you took. Enter today and share your approximate location, and Sam adds that day's pollen value where one is available.
• Instead of memory: the doctor report as a PDF gathers symptom days, disturbed nights and the day's pollen values for the period you choose, such as the weeks before the exam.
• Sleep from Apple Health sits next to your entry in the same app, when a value exists.

Sam issues no certificate and says nothing about whether you can sit an exam. The health judgement is your doctor's and the exam decision your school's alone.

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Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. The app does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or health state. Always consult qualified professionals for medical decisions.

General information, not legal advice. Laws, deadlines and agency practice change, and your case may differ. Before applications, deadlines and conversations with employers, insurers or agencies, get advice from an adviser or lawyer. Legal state: October 2026.

Related reading

• Exam accommodations for a chronic illness: UK and US
• How to prepare for a hay fever season diary
• Living with allergic rhinitis through the pollen season
• Allergic rhinitis and sleep: nose blocked at night, tired by day

Sources

Updated: October 2026

• Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ): Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments and special consideration (guidance updated March 2026)
• GOV.UK / Ofqual: What you need to know before your exams (summer 2026)
• U.S. Department of Justice, ADA.gov: ADA requirements: testing accommodations (last updated 28 February 2020)
• NHS: Hay fever (page last reviewed 21 March 2024)
• Met Office: Pollen forecast
• ACAAI, American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: Hay fever (allergic rhinitis)