Second-level students with dyslexia need extra time in exams, warns advocacy group

'Providing extra time isn't an advantage; it's a necessary accommodation that allows these students to demonstrate their knowledge without the barrier of time pressure.'

With October marking Dyslexia Awareness Month, an advocacy group has repeated its calls for extra times in Junior Cycle and Leaving Cert exams for young people who are dyslexic, dyscalculic or neurodivergent.

Despite some progresses, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) has not yet formally confirmed any changes to the Reasonable Accommodations at Certificate Examinations (RACE) Scheme for 2026.

Under the scheme, students who have additional needs may qualify for access to exam accommodations like word processors or access to a scribe or reader.

Additional time to complete written exams is not an accommodation sanctioned in its own right under the scheme.

Where additional time can be granted in certain circumstances, it is limited to a maximum of ten minutes per scheduled hour, to a maximum of thirty minutes per examination.

In the Leaving Certificate subjects Irish, English, history, and geography additional time is limited to ten minutes per the whole examination.

However, dyslexic young people consistently struggle with running out of time in exams as they commonly experience a slower processing time when reading, writing and recalling information. 

"We are calling on the minister for education and youth to urgently address the unequal playing field for students with dyslexia, and other neurodivergence, in our State exams," said Dyslexia Ireland chief executive Rosie Bissett. 

"Providing extra time isn't an advantage; it's a necessary accommodation that allows these students to demonstrate their knowledge without the barrier of time pressure. 

"This accommodation is the norm internationally and in Irish universities. We need immediate action from the State Examinations Commission to ensure our second level students aren't left behind any longer — the time for change is now." 

Extra time is about fairness, said mother Fiona MacDermott. "With dyslexia, it takes longer to read and write, and without that time my daughter’s Junior Cycle results won’t reflect what she really knows. 

"For students like my daughter with dyslexia and dyscalculia, it’s what ensures equity in exams and lets her results reflect her true ability." 

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Ms MacDermott added: "Without this support, she is not able to show her full potential, and the exam would measure her processing speed rather than her knowledge and skills." 

Next Wednesday, October 8 marks World Dyslexia Day.