Dyslexia and Exam Access Arrangements: What Schools Need to Provide

If your child has been assessed with dyslexia, you may have heard the phrase exam access arrangements. It can sound bureaucratic, and many parents are unsure what it actually means in practice. Here is a clear guide to what schools need to provide, and how the process works.

What are exam access arrangements?

Exam access arrangements are adjustments made to how a student sits an exam, rather than to what they are tested on. The most common is extra time, usually twenty five percent, although other arrangements exist too. These can include a reader, a scribe, rest breaks, the use of a word processor, or a smaller room with fewer distractions.

The purpose is simple. The exam should test what a student knows, not how quickly they can read the questions or write their answers. Without the right arrangements, dyslexia can get in the way of a student showing what they actually understand.

Who decides what a student needs?

Schools follow guidance set by the Joint Council for Qualifications, known as the JCQ. This sets out the rules that all UK exam boards must follow. A key part of that process is Form 8, the document a specialist assessor completes to evidence a student's need for access arrangements.

Form 8 is not simply a tick box exercise. It requires standardised testing across specific areas, usually reading speed, writing speed, and cognitive processing. The results need to meet defined thresholds before an arrangement like extra time can be approved. This is why a formal assessment matters so much. A school cannot simply decide a student needs extra time based on observation alone, the evidence has to come from proper testing.

What schools are responsible for

Once a student has the right evidence in place, the school holds responsibility for applying the arrangement. This includes registering the arrangement with the relevant exam board, and making sure it is consistently applied across all exams, not just the ones a parent happens to ask about.

Schools should also apply what is sometimes called the normal way of working principle. This means an arrangement like extra time should already be in place for a student's day to day classwork and internal assessments, not introduced for the first time in a formal exam. If a student has never had extra time in a mock exam, it becomes harder to justify in a real one.

What if a school says no?

Sometimes parents are told an arrangement is not possible, or that a student does not qualify. This is worth questioning. If a formal assessment has recommended an arrangement and provided the standardised evidence required, the school should normally be applying it. If you feel this is not happening, it is worth requesting a meeting with the SENCo to understand the reasoning, and asking specifically which JCQ criteria have or have not been met.

Getting the evidence right

The strength of an exam access arrangement rests entirely on the quality of the evidence behind it. A report completed by a SASC approved assessor, using current standardised tests, gives a school what it needs to apply with confidence. It also reduces the risk of arrangements being challenged or queried later in the process.

If your child has not yet been assessed and you are concerned about how they will manage in exams, it is worth starting that conversation as early as possible. Evidence needs time to be gathered properly, and arrangements need to be in place well before exam season begins.

A final word

If the rules around access arrangements have left you feeling confused, that is completely understandable. The picture is simpler than it first appears. Get in contact and we can look at supporting you all.