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Written question asked by Jonathan Davies (Labour) on Monday, 10 March 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 12 March 2025. It was answered by Catherine McKinnell (Labour) on Saturday, 29 March 2025 on behalf of the Department for Education.

English Language: Assessments

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of recent changes to the Functional Skills Level 2 English exam on students with autism and other learning disabilities.

Answer

Reformed mathematics and English Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs) were introduced for first teaching from September 2019. As is standard practice, the department worked alongside Ofqual to evaluate the reforms in 2023. The department’s evaluation of FSQs found that the content of the qualifications is continuing to meet the needs of employers and learners. Ofqual’s concurrent evaluation found that the assessments are appropriate against this content but that awarding organisations need to make improvements in some areas, which the regulator is acting on.

Ofqual’s evaluation did hear reports of a lack of understanding around the availability and application of reasonable adjustments, and in some cases providers reported that students were not able to access appropriate reasonable adjustments. The regulator has considered this stakeholder feedback as part of a wider review of awarding organisations’ application of reasonable adjustments in vocational and technical qualifications, with a view to improving their practice.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
37034
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Assessments Autism Learning disability English language
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk