A fifth of students now get extra time in exams amid calls for rise to be investigated

A fifth of students now get extra time in exams, new figures show as a former chief examiner called for the rise to be investigated.

In the most recent series of GCSEs and A-levels, 19.4 per cent of all students were awarded 25 per cent extra time, according to data published by the exam regulator.

Dr Tony Breslin, a former chief examiner for GCSEs and a chair of examiners for A-levels, urged Ofqual to probe why requests for extra time have soared in recent years.

He said that the “significant” growth in numbers of students being granted extra time should be scrutinised to ensure that no one is “gaming” the system.

“Ofqual should be looking at this and asking questions,” he said. “If students have particular needs and we are better at identifying those needs, more students having extra time is a good thing.

“On the other hand, if it’s a consequence of a degree of gaming, encouraged by the need for good grades, then its problematic.”

Schools can apply to the Joint Council for Qualifications to request extra time for a student on a variety on grounds. These include learning difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or a mental health condition.

Figures from Ofqual show that 25 per cent extra time is the most popular form of special dispensation for exams, and has increased by 40 per cent over the past four years.

Other forms of “access arrangement” can include having a reader, scribe, an exam printed on coloured paper, or computer assistance.

This summer, 256,710 students in England were granted 25 per cent extra time in their exams, up from 182,730 four years ago, according to data from Ofqual.

Independent schools have the highest proportion of students getting extra time, with over a quarter (26 per cent) of all private school pupils granted this particular “access arrangement”.

They are followed by sixth form and further education colleges, where 22 per cent of candidates were allowed extra time. Of all the school types listed by Ofqual, selective schools had the lowest proportion of pupils getting extra time, at eight per cent.

Dr Breslin, who now runs an education consultancy, said that the rise in recent years may be partly down to GCSEs and A-level reforms.

“We now have a system that is much more sensitive to student need, so that’s good. But we also have a high stakes, grade driven system,” he explained.

“Over the last three years we have seen the roll out of a new format of exams and all students are dealing now with exams that they feel less secure about.”

Ofqual looked into extra time arrangements in 2017 amid concern about the steep rise. It passed its findings on to the JCQ, which represents the country’s leading exam boards, which wrote to 300 schools earlier this year asking them to review their arrangements ahead of last summer’s exams.

Ofqual has previously said that it is “right and only fair” that the exam system allows disabled students to have “reasonable adjustments”.