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Exam Access Arrangements

Dyslexia can have a substantial and long term adverse effect on normal day to day activities, and therefore can be a recognised disability under the Equality Act 2010. The Act states that schools and higher education institutions have a duty to make 'reasonable adjustments' for disabled students (which can include students with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia).

As well as reasonable adjustments in the classroom, schools must put in place Exam Access Arrangements, which are reasonable adjustments for eligible candidates who meet the criteria. These arrangements must not affect the integrity of the examination or give the learner an unfair advantage. Schools are responsible for gathering their own evidence and carrying out testing for access arrangements.

Exam Access Arrangements can include:

  • Extra time
  • A reader
  • A scribe
  • The use of an exam reading pen, a word processor or assistive software (screen reader/voice recognition)
  • Modified Exam papers
  • Supervised rest breaks
  • Alternative rooming arrangements

See the Access Arrangements webpage for more information.