Ofqual withdraws access arrangements statistics

• Number of students reported to receive extra time in exams overstated, says regulator. 

• No change for students receiving or applying for access arrangements as procedures are unaffected.  

• Access arrangements granted to students remain appropriate and valid. 

• New official statistics with improved methodology to be published in late 2025 following comprehensive evidence review.

The exam regulator Ofqual is withdrawing its official statistics on access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A levels from 2014 to 2024 after identifying issues with the data. 

Access arrangements are adjustments to exams for students with special needs, disabilities, or injuries, ensuring fair assessment. Examples include extra time and the use of a reader or scribe.  

Ofqual’s statistics for access arrangements were based on data collected by exam boards. Ofqual’s detailed analysis of underlying data from the boards has now established that the published figures significantly overstated the number of students receiving access arrangements.

The difference is due to the way the data is recorded and aggregated – for example, including arrangements for students who did not sit exams in the relevant year, or duplicate applications for the same student.  

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.

Tom Bramley, Executive Director of Research and Analysis at Ofqual, said “We are correcting the record as soon as possible. The access arrangements process has not changed, and students who received support did so appropriately.

“This issue is limited to our access arrangements dataset and our other statistics are not affected.”

Ofqual is working with exam boards to improve data quality and reporting processes. Revised statistics will be published in late 2025 and will be classified as “official statistics in development”. Ofqual is working closely with the Office of Statistical Regulation on the new approach.

Notes to editors

More information is available in our blog

For reference, SEN statistics Special educational needs in England, Academic year 2024 to 2025

For information on access arrangements Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration – JCQ Joint Council for Qualifications 

The withdrawn data covers all access arrangements except modified exam papers, such as large print or braille papers, which use a different data set and are unaffected.  

Statistics on modified exam papers will be briefly taken down from Ofqual’s website and then re-uploaded on a separate page.