Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing alternative assessment methods for (a) GSCEs and (b) A-Levels on educational outcomes for dyslexic children.

Ofqual, as the independent qualifications regulator, is responsible for regulating GCSEs and A levels and for ensuring that qualifications are designed and delivered in a way that promotes accessibility and minimises unnecessary barriers for students, including those with dyslexia.

Under the Equality Act 2010, awarding organisations are required to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled student would otherwise be placed at a substantial disadvantage when taking an assessment. Ofqual requires awarding organisations to have arrangements in place to meet these obligations and to ensure that disabled students are not disadvantaged when taking qualifications.

Access arrangements, including reasonable adjustments, are intended to ensure that students can be validly assessed and are not unfairly disadvantaged. A range of access arrangements and reasonable adjustments is available for eligible students, including extra time, the use of a computer, a reader, a scribe, and other appropriate support.