Number of kids getting extra time in exams MASSIVELY overstated

If that's the case then they should just get rid of the time limits entirely.

I don't have any disabilities but part of the test is what you can do in that time limit. That's why teachers told us to leave questions we didn't know until the end, if we had time. We had to prioritise so we'd pass.

The exams should either be time pressured for everyone or no-one.

Some schools manage it that way. Those typing are usually in a room together.

What? My DC has hypermobility and has to type exams - well everything, actually - it does not mean he gets some sort of advantage or that he's less intelligent. He also gets 25% extra time.

If it was just knowledge then why have wordy questions for maths at all? Just ask them as equations.

If I'd had extra time I would have got a better result too, that's common.

Er, no.

You are quite wrong.

No, your knowledge is being tested.

If some students weren't given the access arrangements they wouldn't complete the exam and might only complete 80% and get a 4, with all answers correct. But had they had the time to attempt all questions, they might get the 9 they actually deserve.

It's not about giving advantages, it's about them having a level playing field.

You wouldn't expect the person with poor vision to read a book without their glasses. But they should be able to read the book like a "normal" person can with arrangements that allow them to access the book. Same for the next person who is blind, should we deny them access to audio books?

Ha ha

In what world does dictating, having them write it down and you having to wait for them to catch up. Then carrying on... take less time than someone just writing it down?

Honestly, try it yourself!

Listen to a podcast/radio/anything....maybe a Shakespeare sonnet just say something if 200 ish words...and transcribe it... See if you have to pause the podcast.. time yourself.
Then write a quick paragraph about what you did this morning in 200 words.

See what takes longer... I'll bet you the transcript takes longer...

But isn't reading and processing the question part of what's being assessed? If it was just (3+4)/2 I could fly through those questions

People with injuries so they can't write I think it's fine to have extra time, but I was always rushing to answer all questions (so some were missed or misunderstood) and my hands were killing me by the end of the exam. I didn't consider asking for extra time because I thought that's part of the test, if you can get it all done in the time given.

@noblegiraffe if the AO is under JCQ then you have to apply to JCQ for any Access Arrangements and they do a spot check to make sure you have the data protection forms and evidence in their annual inspection (although in that inspection they can't read the evidence to make sure it is appropriate). JCQ also do separate inspections of the Access Arrangements where they go through all the evidence, so they have a process that should pick up schools who aren't doing it properly. Your school has given you correct info.

I can't speak for all other boards as I only use 1 non JCQ board but they have a similar process as well.

There is a huge misunderstanding of how AA work and how they are awarded and I'm glad Ofqual have admitted this mistake, although I don't expect people to 'believe' in SEN or AA anymore than they ever did 🤷‍♀️

This is one of the most ignorant things I’ve read on here.

@catbathat As a child, did you ever have to sit day after day of exams and dictate all your answers (whether they are Maths equations or English essays) to another person (who is most likely a stranger with no knowledge of your speaking style or speed), speaking out loud for hours at a time without the usual process of your ideas flowing from your brain into your pen?

And you suggest that using a scribe saves time (and is therefore imply some kind of advantage) rather than a reasonable adjustment which allows the child who cannot write with a pen to get their knowledge on the paper in an exam situation?

I guess you are lucky that you have no experience of this and how awful it is to try and support your child through it - when they would love to be “normal” and sit their exams with everyone else.

My child had some friends spouting this kind of attitude - likely from their parents.

As PP have said, the process one has to go through to get these measures in place at a school are extremely difficult - it was assessed and not given freely to anyone who asks. Plus, my child was massively failed by the school many times when the agreed adjustments weren’t even in place on exam days. Leaving a child in an exam situation having to stand up for what they should have had set up for them.

Definitely not time saving or any kind of advantage!

On the other hand, I worked in a school where a GCSE student was functionally illiterate and had to have someone read him all the exam questions and write down his answers for him. So if an employer sees that said child achieved a 5 in GCSE English language, that's not really representative of his ability.

And that is why you wouldn't get that sort of accommodation for English language.

Why did he have extra time though with a typing speed that fast? Sorry if I’ve misunderstood but surely he would qualify for the right to use a laptop in exams.

Extra time should equally be provided at work for this sort of test. If your company is not making reasonable adjustments it is liable to find itself paying out on some expensive disability discrimination claims, unless it can show that time is absolutely central to every aspect of the job the candidates are applying for.

I didn’t say they all used it. I was commenting on the fact you said JCQ wouldn’t pick it up when they might.

And not all AOs use that service, some do their own inspections instead

You do know what an invigilator does, don't you? It's literally someone employed to come and sit in the exam room to ensure no-one cheats. Why on earth would they know whether the candidates need extra time or not?

Kathleen Stock recently wrote a column where she said the number of students who insisted they needed to sit exams in a separate room (when she was teaching at Sussex Uni) meant they had to hire a local sports hall.

So it clearly is happening. And the end result is that a bunch of people who have no business going to university end up there.

I have a question regarding extra time. In a workplace, I understand that there are reasonable adjustments made if necessary and possible. However if someone is nurse/doctor, they're not going to get longer consultation time per appointment with patients be because they have an additional need. They're not going to get more hours in the day to teach because they have additional needs. They're not going to get more time to attend to a call if they're a paramedic. So what purpose does additional time serve in an exam? I understand that it can help them achieve the grade they need to to get into these courses. But there won't be additional time given in jobs. Genuine question, it's something that I've never quite understood.

Have you taken in the fact that Ofqual have admitted that previous statistics about students having extra time were massively exaggerated? It's really disheartening that people are so entrenched in their prejudices that they cannot compute facts that disprove them.

So you think you were treated badly in your exams, but think the kid today that gets a return break and a cup of tea is... what? Having something that would have actually probably helped you in your situation?

And that's fine, as the job involves quick processing.

But if you need someone who has expertise in X subject, they're wouldn't be out through the weeding out tasks.

As an exam invigilator you know everything about the learning and medical difficulties of all the candidates sitting in front of you? How does that happen, then?