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

For me, maths is less of a concern. The maths GCSEs seem overly generous in timing if anything and I doubt there are many children who are being limited by speed.

My concern is that my son cannot complete the English Language papers in the time allowed. On the one hand I’ve been told that by people on this thread that he is too verbose, not prepared anything, hasn’t had enough guidance on how to move between questions etc. Yet on the other hand I’m told that GCSEs are not a test of speed and that some children should be entitled to 25%, 50% or even 200% extra time so as not to be assessed on speed. Can people really not understand why this is confusing? Either it’s a speed test or it isn’t?

I am a Maths teacher. I can put your mind at ease that in over 20 years of teaching, not a single pupil has told me that they didn't finish their exam. Exams are not designed to be restrictive in time.
Oh , how I wish this were true in all subjects! It is widely agreed in mine that students are forced to complete the exams in a headlong rush, somewhat equating to a panic attack. It would be nice if exam boards even evaluated whether the time allowed in the first place is anywhere near reasonable.

It's no speed of writing.

It's thei brain is slower at processing what is being asked if them,and their brains need more time to convert thoughts to written answers

Your child may have slower writing or processing.
Or they may not be able to consisely make their point.
Or they might be off topic.
They might just not be able to write quick enough
They may not be bright enough to achieve a 8/9 regardless of time allowed.

Not everyone can and will achieve top marks. They moderate for this.

The exams are absolutely fine for the majority of students. And those who aren't able to write/hear/see/process etc are allowed a little extra time. 25% isn't a huge amount of time.
Most exams are 1h30 or abouts, they're getting 22ish minutes to allow the scribe to write between pauses, for a reader to read the questions, for their brains to comprehend the questions.

Your child may have moved from a high 5, to a low 6 or whatever, but he wouldn't have been able to magically get a 9 for example of he been consistently working at a grade 5

He would have had Access to many past papers and been able to practice writing a succinct essay.

The kids with access arrangements aren't being given help or the answers or whatever. There's a clue in the name, they have arrangements that allow them to access the exam, and that might mean it's written in another language, it might be in blue paper, it might be at double size font. It also might be via a reader and a scribe.

Either way, your child may have been able to get 25% extra time had there been the need
But he didn't, shame. Bit really not the end of the world.

I am deeply shocked at the callousness of your final sentence. I am extremely worried about my child and have tried to get this across. Clearly no one cares and this is not a supportive place to be. I have never once mentioned that other children shouldn’t have their extra time or that employers should be aware of it. I’m just raising concerns about consistency in access arrangements across the country.

Your personality clearly matches your user name.

There is no consistency, and even when your child has full ed psych reports, diagnostic reports etc you still have to fight a constant battle.

You will probably find it is easier to get support in 6th form, but you need to start now.

We have already had 1:1 meetings with DD's 6th form college and now I'm attempting to get paperwork passed between them. It is like having a second full-time jobs some weeks.

sharp elbowed parents

Ah, that old narrative. It is just like the line used against parents pursuing EHCPs. All parents should be supported to advocate for their child. Parents aren’t unreasonable for pursuing support for their child. Criticising parents for advocating for their DC with SEN and painting them as being unreasonably demanding doesn’t help your child get the support they need.

My child won’t be going to sixth form because he isn’t clever enough. He’s hopefully going to college for a vocational course if he can get a 4 in English. If he ends up with a 3 then I will be discussing with the team there why he is getting a 3 when his target is a 5. I need to know whether it was poor teaching at his school, a lack of innate intelligence or something else. But either way I can see that I need to be more on it.

Yes, mine is going to vocational college, with identical requirements - they have SEN teams there too.

The point is that parents shouldn't have to push

My DD didn't finish the maths exam. She ran out of time

School has told us for 5 years that she just needs to "speed up".

If there was a national system for testing for "slow processing" then this would be fair and no elbows, sharp or otherwise would be required

And yes...I realised concessions were required for dyslexia/amputated or broken arms/sight problems/severe anxiety but NOT for "slow processing"

This thread has been a revelation with extremely unsupportive posters basically misconstruing arguments and criticising us for not being good advocates for our children. The reverse is true but I had NO IDEA that slow processing was a "thing" rather than being a sign of being less "clever".

Running out of time in one subject isn't particularly suggestive of slow processing though.

Ah I see. Sorry I was being a bit prickly as upset by a previous poster. I think some people think I’m trying to engineer my child a 9 when all I want to know is why he will potentially get a 3 when his target grade from CATs is a 5 and he was working at expected standard throughout primary. I strongly suspect this a combination of middling intelligence combined with poor English teaching but I will discuss with the SEN team at college to see if he would benefit from any kind of assessment. I had genuinely never heard of slow processing or working memory issues until recently. If he gets a 4 it will be like winning the lottery to him!

She is "slow" on the uptake but has innate intelligence.

Sadly this will not be reflected in her grades

No, parents shouldn’t have to push, but that fact it is necessary and isn’t going to change in the foreseeable future isn’t the fault of the parents advocating for their DC. So portraying parents advocating for their DC as ‘sharp elbowed’ is unreasonable and doesn't help your child.

And, again, slow processing can be part of conditions such as dyslexia.

Does she perform highly in class assesments (e.g doing one 16 marker in class? If there is a massive discrepancy between a class 16 marker, one done for homework (provided it's done without notes and in timed conditions) and then mocks and GCSEs - it should have been picked up on (whether due to lack of revision, not going through all the content or something happening). If all of that didn't apply and she was struggling with reading or interpreting questions then school should have looked into it.

What do you mean by slow on the uptake? When she receives information, or when she has to read through a source/extract? It could be as symptom of something else, or it could just be the pressure of an exam hall unfortunately and just taking a while to get into the swing of things. That's the aim of mocks, hopefully they're so used to the atmosphere it doesn't trip them up, but it's impossible to replicate 100%, plus they know this time it's the real thing.

I've referred loads of kids for extra time assessment without parents getting involved at all.

https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/field/pdf/2020/9/14/Understanding-processing-speed.pdf

Wrt slow processing there are objective measures used by EP that will likely have been carried out where SEN is present. Eg DS2 was 99.4% on non verbal reasoning but only 18% on working memory. WISC and WIAT comparison of ability and attainment was statistically significant in the below 2% category meaning that less than 2% of those with his ability would achieve his attainment level. RA allows him to achieve more in line with ability.

For the vast majority of DC ability and attainment are relatively aligned with a small amount of variance dependant on revision and exam prep. No amount of revision or exam prep or extra time will transform a grade 5 into an 8 or 9 at GCSE or a C into an A or A star at A level.

But where there is a significant gap between ability and attainment I know from my own experience that specialist tailored tuition and RA can make the difference between a 6 and 9 or a C and A star because it overcomes barriers and gives a level playing field to allow demonstration of ability.

edited to make clear my first para is referring to the excellent post above mine ⬆️

I think this is exactly the point and you’ve explained it very well. It’s what the evidence shows and what any pedagog would say too.

Coming back to this thread I have a bit more empathy with some posters as it’s become clearer that they are concerned about outcomes for their children. We all love our kids and want the best for them. If mine were running out of road and might not be able to take their next steps I’d be pretty stressed.

That said I still think those posters are wrong and the arguments need to be robustly challenged. There is no excuse for people lashing out and aiming ire at the wrong targets. For example, getting angry at children who require reasonable adjustments, or claiming parents of children with SEN have “sharp elbows” and are “hoarding privileges”. Or asserting that SEN is used to get one over on poor children through an imaginary drawbridge being drawn up. Or erroneously believing the grade boundaries are being reset to the detriment of their children (when that’s not the case). Or faux naivety and false equivalence about the difference between educational attainment and work performance.

If the point was being made to improve the quality of education system, including for children with low attainment, that’s something I think everyone would get behind. But if anyone trys to create division through wild assertions, evidence free ideology and trying to make other children the fall guy - I can only speak for myself - but I’m out.