Dyslexic exam waivers ‘too strict’

STUDENTS with dyslexia need wider access to exemptions that take account of their learning difficulties, a support group has claimed.

Almost 5,500 Junior and Leaving Certificate candidates received spelling and grammar waivers from the State Examinations Commission in 2006, where spelling or grammar mistakes were discounted because of a student’s dyslexia or other difficulty.

This number has almost doubled in four years, a sign of the greater recognition of learning difficulties and special education needs experienced by students.