Dysgraphia in GCSEs

[Adogand3boys]

My son is in Yr 11 and will be sitting his GCSEs this year.
He has dysgraphia and is allowed to use a laptop by School. However he does not use a laptop for maths, 3 x sciences or languages (he finds it too hard to process his thoughts if he is typing a language and there is too much drawing for physics etc ). The school have said that his only option is to use a laptop if he suffers from hand cramps and poor writing however he Is able to write legibly if he does it slowly. Does anyone know if it is possible to qualify for extra time and not just laptop use for dysgraphia? School is telling me it is laptop or nothing.... are they right???

He needs to have his speed of writing assessed and get a substantially below average score to qualify for extra time for writing.

If he gets hand cramps, he could ask for rest breaks?

You’ll need to get a shift on if you want extra time, there needs to be evidence of it being his normal way of working in mocks etc.

JCQ document about access arrangements here: www.jcq.org.uk/Download/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance/access-arrangements-and-reasonable-adjustments-booklet
The bit about extra time is page 22.

Yes, more likely rest breaks than extra time. The concern is that extra time in an exam that doesn’t involve a lot of writing is giving him an unfair advantage. The other possibility might be a scribe.