Number of kids getting extra time in exams MASSIVELY overstated

[noblegiraffe]

Ofqual are withdrawing their statistics on how many children getting extra time and other accommodations in GCSEs and A-levels because they've admitted that they are completely wrong. It's something I know has been referenced quite a few times here so I thought it worth flagging.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jul/17/ofqual-admits-massively-exaggerating-number-of-students-getting-exam-assistance?

"The new analysis suggests that the actual proportion of students receiving access arrangements – including 25% extra time in exams – is now broadly in line with the proportion of students with special educational needs in the school population."

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofqual-withdraws-access-arrangements-statistics

Diagnosis doesn't = extra time though.

Of course your an educational psychologist and know everything....🙄

Late - she didn’t say ALL middle class parents are gaming the system - but some undoubtedly are, I’ve seen it myself. Some are also doing it subconsciously- trying to find an answer for why their dc doesn’t live up to their high academic expectations- I feel very sorry for these children, whose parents are trying to ‘fix’ them rather than being proud of them for who they are and recognising their other strengths.

Late - No, when did I say that? I know that some parents see multiple people to get a diagnosis because they they talk about it quite openly!!

Are you suggesting professionals - educational psychologist would assess a child with a problem because a parent is paying them to do so? Perhaps you ought to write to the British Psychological Society and suggest that they're not regulating their members and that do something about it... seriously get a grip you can't get willy nilly get any old diagnosis.

This thread has gone very strange.

My understanding is @noblegiraffe isn't saying a small room is never needed - just that it isn’t always needed for all students with an agreed adjustment? However, some schools do apparently choose to put all their students who have an adjustment (such as extra time) together in a separate room from the main exam hall.

There’s lots of sad and worrying posts that are coming across as “why should your kid get an advantage - mine should have some extra time too”. When talking about young people with a mental or physical need for a reasonable adjustment to be able to sit a compulsory exam.

And no acknowledgment from these posters that, as many PP have said, the workplace and life as an adult is very, very different from being in the school (and exam) system where everyone has to do the same thing and you have no autonomy as a child. Employers can use the interview process (including tests if relevant) to work out if the candidate is suitable for the job. The candidate can choose which jobs to apply for and can ask for reasonable adjustments when in post.

@catbathat must be on the wind up. No-one can actually be this obtuse.

I was an exam invigilator in Scotland for the main exams this year and last year.

For some exams, a third of children had alternative arrangements. Not all of these had extra time.

Some required a reader or a scribe, or both. They generally got extra time because that process takes longer. Others did their exams on computers, typing rather than handwriting. Not all of them got extra time. I invilgated for one lad with a knee injury, he had to sit with his leg straight out in front of him and was allowed breaks every 20 minutes to get up and hobble round the room. He didn't get any extra time - he got the same time as everyone else but the clock was stopped every time he needed to move his exam took longer.

Other alternative arrangements included large print papers for children who were visually impaired, coloured papers for children with dyslexia.

Additional arrangements does not always equal "extra time".

As for the “middle class parents getting an unfair advantage for their kids by getting them adjustments. The issue isn’t that these parents are getting their children what they are entitled to. The unfairness is that there are some families who don’t have the awareness of the system to know that you have to keep fighting the system to get these things agreed and in place. I feel extremely sorry for children whose parents don’t understand the system or how to talk to the school - it isn’t fair. But this doesn’t mean that “middle class parents” are somehow getting a great deal for their children.

From my experience, there is no way a SEN team would be going along with exam adjustment requests based only on how pushy a middle class parent is.

Yes I realise that.

But in the 'real world' people can at least to some degree pick a job that fits their nature / individual needs. So (generalising massively here) someone with dyspraxia won't aim for a job requiring fine motor skills, someone with dyslexia won't aim for a job as a proof reader. Mini adjustments on the peripheral of a job should often be possible.

My eldest had 'adjustments' (if you can call them that) of writing down procedures so she didn't forget them, and asking colleagues to be very direct as she didn't notice hints.

Oh and on the "extra time doesn't mean a separate room" - in the school I invigilate it does. Because it's unfair to the children with extra time to have 200 odd other kids leaving the hall while they're still working. This school has a policy of not allowing anyone to leave until the scheduled end of the exam - they must all sit there until the end. This means that kids are not distracted by others leaving, worrying about why they are still writing when a friend has finished. We do accommodate children in groups - so the kids with 10% extra time are in one room, the children with 25% or whatever are tofgether too.

Quite clearly those with a reader/scribe need separate accommodation, as did the boy who had to get up every 20 minutes and hobble around.

Because there's absolutely no need. 95% of candidates will be twiddling their thumbs, and then there are candidates that get 50% or 100% extra time... Should we just double the length of all exams?

The glasses are the perfect analogy. It's about providing each candidate with the ability to do their best.

GCSEs aren't a competition.

If you got a job as a Cheese Consultant ... would it matter if you had 25% extra time to complete a Cheese Lovers GCSE? Would it matter if you needed a laptop to type your answers? And another candidate didn't have extra time in theirs? You both get a 9.

Would it maybe make a difference that you might need a bit more time to produce the report for which cheese your client should buy? Perhaps, but, that doesn't detract from your ability to recommend cheese, not does it diminish your expertise in the area. You could be the world's best Cheese Consultant! But we'd never know had you not been given the access arrangements, because it turns out you're dyslexic and dyspraxic with slower processing. You would perhaps achieve a 6 instead. Because you literally ran out of time on question 6 out 10. Whilst the other candidate had ample time to answer all 10 questions without difficulty..

Kids with extra time at my school sit in the hall with everyone else and seem to manage just fine. I've not heard of 10% extra time though

Schools who find extra rooms/invigilators for all those kids must have more money than mine.

Because it is given to students who need it (based on assessment by the school of their usual way of working) in order to be able to sit a compulsory exam. It isn’t for students who “want” it because it would be nice to have a bit more time to get some extra information down on the paper.

No-one is having anything “both ways”. As lots of PP have pointed out, it is to create as level a playing field as possible for all students to be able to sit a compulsory exam and demonstrate their knowledge and be given a grade for the level of learning they have demonstrated to the examiner.

If you got rid of time limits, you would have people never finishing the exam.

What if a candidate decides to stay for 7 hours?

Yea, even being allowed back in the hall after my attack so I could complete my paper. Not extra time, I don’t care for the extra time. I was predicted a distinction. That’s all I wanted. But at 21 when your best friend does such a thing it’s not easy to brush aside.

Nowadays people are getting extra time because they need to regulate, or get their head around facing the exam. Come on!!!

It's fairly standard not to be allowed back in the exam room
.

So what if they need extra time to regulate? How does that affect you or your GCSE exam?

How lucky you are that you don't have crippling anxiety because you are so petrified of what your parents will do if you fail this exam.

I think the concern is not that all children need the extra time but that some who do need it aren’t getting it and are therefore disadvantaged. I can’t understand why it isn’t feasible to have 3 hours for all GCSEs and just to allow children to leave and sign out once they are done after say 1.5 hours. That would seem to be the most inclusive way and would avoid accusations of sharp elbowed parents pushing for an advantage.

If time isn't important, for example a child needs extra time to read the maths questions, then why do we stress kids out trying to get them to race against the clock to get the exam questions answered at all.

In my job, the time it takes to do the maths calculations is relatively flexible so it doesn't matter how long it takes to do it, as long as you know how to complete it.

Therefore, is it fair that some know how to work the system to gain extra time? Should we just let all children spend as long as they want on the paper, within reasonable limits (minimum and maximum), but obviously let leave them exam hall when they have finished. I'm fairly sure that most wouldn't take advantage of the extra time because they would finish anyway. I know I would have left a the minimum time allowed in 90% of my exams.

Because...how many questions do you set for 3 hours?

Enough to fill 2 hrs? Enough to fill 2h30m?

You will get candidates working for the entire 3 hours and they don't need that time. They will be writing up until the end.

They will have the equivalent of getting extra time.

And some children who require 50% or 100% extra time, or unlimited rest breaks... The 100% candidates now get, what 6 hours in an exam?

Do you want your child to sit 20+ GCSE exams that are 3 hours long?

It's isn't "a race against the clock" it's an exam with an appropriate amount of questions that the majority of people can answer in that time. If they can't for processing reasons, medical reasons etc they get a little extra time to do something

You fail to understand that some candidates will interpret the maximum time is the time they should finish. Also how many questions are you setting in this extended period?

Buswankers - GCSEs are a competition - the grade boundaries are set so that a certain rough % get each grade. If an exam is easier the grade boundary shifts up.

And if I was running a cheese consultancy (I would love this job!!) if there were two people who both got a 9 in cheese tasting I would choose the person who could get the work done quicker as they would be able to write more reports and earn more money for my cheese business.

I genuinely cannot understand the problem. Just set the exam as it always is. Tell the kids it should take about 1.5 hours (or whatever) but that they are welcome to stay for up to 3 hours if needed. It’s by far the most inclusive way to do it. My son would have left the maths and science exams after the expected time as he did not have a problem with that. He would have probably done an extra 20 minutes in English to get all the points down he wanted to make. Why is his need less than someone else’s need?

Even if the person who had access arrangements was better at cheese knowledge? Better at selling? The best consultant you'd ever known.
Just happened to need a bit of extra time to write the recommendation?