My son passed his Maths GCSE by three marks. These three marks were because of his extra time, the difference between pass or fail. This is what access arrangements are meant for, isn’t it? He needed the extra time to get to the standard required.
– Abigail, parent
The Joint Council for Qualifications
The JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) and examination awarding bodies have worked together for many years to produce and update regulations and guidance for access arrangements in compliance with the Equality Act (2010) and the SEND Code of Practice (2014). This blog serves as an outline for access arrangements relating to dyslexia according to JCQ guidelines at the time of writing (November 2023). However, it should be read alongside the most recent JCQ regulations and guidance.
What must happen for dyslexic students to be awarded access arrangements?
Each exam centre (usually a school) has an Access Arrangements Coordinator, often the SENDCO, and a qualified Access Arrangements Assessor, who is either a staff member or assessor known to the centre. Not all access arrangements require testing, but where testing is required, this is not the same as diagnostic testing for dyslexia. Equally, a diagnosis of dyslexia does not guarantee access arrangements for exams.
The decision on whether to apply for access arrangements is always and exclusively made by the centre/school and depends on:
- Normal way of working in class
- Test scores: these vary depending on the access arrangement in question (and not all access arrangements require testing)
- The suitability of the access arrangement to remove barriers for the individual to succeed
The access arrangement that is best known and sought after is extra time, but it’s less well known that there are a few different examination access arrangements that may be used by students with dyslexia. Even with the same category of need, needs still vary, and what works for one dyslexic student may not for another.
In tests, I often need to read the question over and over again to read what it’s asking me to do.
– Sara, age 14
There are three different categories of access arrangements relevant to dyslexia:
- Centre delegated (no application from school needed) access arrangements
At the time of writing, these are as follows:
- Supervised rest breaks (useful for learners who struggle with concentration but don’t need extra time)
- Read aloud (in an alternative room away from the exam room, useful for students who struggle to understand and process written language)
- Examination reading pen, used with headphones (useful for candidates who have reading difficulties but can work independently, and for those who may just need small chunks of text read out)
- Prompter (useful for supporting students with staying on task)
- Coloured overlay or coloured/enlarged/single sided paper (useful for students with visual difficulties which sometimes are present alongside dyslexia)
- Word processor with spell check and grammar check switched off (useful for students who struggle with handwriting and organising ideas for writing)
- Fidget toys and stress balls (these help if a student requires a lot of kinaesthetic feedback and needs to fidget)
2. Arrangements needing approval and testing:
At the time of writing, these are as follows:
- 25% extra time. This is useful for students with slow processing speed, slow writers, working memory difficulties, and who need time to read/re-read. Students should have two below average scores (standard score 84 or less), or one below average score and one low average score (85 – 98), in two different areas relating to speed of working, e.g. reading or writing speed, processing speed, or memory
- 26% – 50% extra time, only awarded in exceptional cases. At least two scores which are substantially below average (standard scores of 69 or below) are needed, as well as a substantial body of evidence from the school or centre which justifies the need
- Scribe, useful for students with slow writing speed and spelling difficulties. The evidence required is a below average (standard score 84 or less) writing speed score, or a below average spelling accuracy score with unrecognisable spelling attempts
- Word processor with predictive text, spelling and grammar check switched on. This is useful for those students needing a scribe but can work independently. Evidence required is the same as for a scribe, but schools must also have a word processor policy
- Speech recognition technology with predictive text (evidence required as for a scribe)
3. Access arrangements which require approval but not testing:
At the time of writing, these are as follows:
- Reader/computer reader, useful for students who have reading difficulties. No testing is required, although test data may be useful to support school evidence
- Headphones to listen to music during the exams, useful to help students stay on task.
Testing
Testing for access arrangements should be done within 26 months of the exam series, no earlier. In England, this is from Year 9 onwards for G.C.S.Es. Tests administered by an assessor unknown to the school (for example as part of a diagnostic assessment commissioned by parents) may not be used by the school to apply for access arrangements, unless a prior arrangement was made with the assessor, and the first section of a JCQ Form 8 completed in advance of the assessment. The school should always complete the first part of Form 8 before testing takes place, and the assessor completes the second part afterwards. It’s then the decision of the school whether to apply for the arrangements and submit the form.
Students with Education, Health and Care Plans (E.H.C.Ps)
Students who have E.H.C.Ps for Cognition and Learning (which covers dyslexia) do not require testing for access arrangements, i.e. for a scribe and/or 25% extra time. These will be awarded automatically, without testing, but a form (Form 9) still needs to be submitted by the school. However, if a student has an EHCP for Cognition and Learning and requires between 26% and 50% extra time, testing is required.
Moving on from G.C.S.E to G.C.E study
Approval for access arrangements does not automatically pass from GCSE to A Levels, even if a student’s approval for the arrangements has not expired and they do not change school/centre. There are two ways to gain approval for continued access arrangements for A Levels. These are either to re-test and re-apply, or “roll forward” the application using a different form (Form 8RF).
Best Practice & Underlying Principles
Access arrangements exist to comply with the law, by providing reasonable adjustments as part of the Equality Act (2010). They should not offer an unfair advantage or serve to inflate exam results, but they should provide a fair access to students with a special educational need, disability, medical condition or learning difficulty. Best practice:
- accounts for the individual. The impact of dyslexia can vary from student to student. Dyslexia can impact to differing degrees any or all of the following: speed, ability to understand, ability to hold information in mind, ability to organise written work, concentration, a need for repetition, reading, spelling, handwriting, or a combination of these. Some students need help with how to unpick exam questions, while others just need a rest break. Extra time is not suitable for every student with dyslexia.
Extra time in exams wouldn’t have helped me at all because I was always sat twiddling my thumbs at the end. My problem was that I sometimes didn’t have a clue what the question was asking me, and I rushed off too soon before getting the full instructions.
– Anna, now adult
- ensures integrity to purpose. If a student requires, for example, extra time, a reader, or rest breaks in exams, they need it in class as well and this should begin as soon as a need is identified.
- Ensures the student is doing exams at the right level for him/her
Normal Way of Working
It is expected that any exam access arrangement is the student’s normal way of working, and evidence that this is happening is required on application. If extra time is awarded in exams, best practice also allows extra time (or reduced the expected output) in lessons, tests and even homework.
And last, but not least… Train the students
Don’t assume that students know how to use their access arrangement wisely! Students with dyslexia may have difficulties with organising and understanding time, planning and self regulation, so they need coaching! Curriculum teachers should be aware of the access arrangement needed as soon as it is identified.
In summary, access arrangements available for students with dyslexia are various and comprehensive, but their allocation is driven by need not label. A diagnosis of dyslexia is helpful in guiding the school, but it neither guarantees access arrangements nor replaces school based testing for access arrangements. Remember to look for what is the most appropriate and helpful for different learners’ needs and look beyond the exam season itself: normal way of working can be established from the beginning of secondary school.
Louise Selby is writing a book called “All About Dyslexia”, to be published by Speechmark (part of Routledge) in 2024. If you would like to share your experience with her, contact her
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For further information, visit the JCQ website.
A useful further resource for schools/centres and assessors is the Patoss publication written by Lia Castiglione. Find out more about this publication via Lia’s free video
