Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that each young person with vision impairment has received appropriately adapted (a) national tests and exam papers and (b) past papers without charge.

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) develops modified versions of National Curriculum tests in enlarged print (Key Stage 2 only), modified large print and braille (Key Stages 1 and 2). They are primarily designed for pupils with visual impairments, although they may be suitable for pupils with other needs. Schools can request permission from STA to open Key Stage 2 tests up to 5 days early if they need to make further adaptations to the test materials to meet a pupil’s specific needs. Schools are not charged for any version of the tests. Past versions of the modified tests are available free of charge so that schools can help pupils prepare and to ensure the materials meet their needs.

Ofqual is the regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. As well as requiring regulated awarding organisations to comply with equalities legislation, Ofqual’s General Conditions of Recognition require awarding organisations to monitor their qualifications for any feature which could disadvantage a group of students who share a particular protected characteristic, including those who have a disability due to visual impairment. Under the Equality Act 2010, awarding organisations are required to make reasonable adjustments to assessments for disabled students. Awarding organisations can, and do, make a wide range of adjustments to their assessments, including modifying exam papers (e.g. producing large-print or braille versions).

Ofqual does not impose any specific requirements regarding past papers, either in standard format or in any modified format. However, the total number and proportion of modified exam papers produced for the annual summer exam series is increasing over time. Awarding organisations and schools and colleges are therefore increasingly likely to have modified papers available to be subsequently used as past papers.

The awarding organisations that offer GCSEs, AS and A level qualifications do not charge for modified exam papers and where past exam papers have been modified, these are usually made available to schools and colleges free of charge.