EXAMINE: Exam inequality for neurodivergent students

This project will investigate whether certain features of GCSE examination papers might explain the lower average attainment of neurodivergent students in England. It aims to identify changes that could make the questions equally accessible to all. 

Why this project is important

Neurodivergent students consistently obtain lower grades in their GCSE exams than their neurotypical peers despite the availability of access arrangements such as extra time and rest breaks. For example, just 33-51% of autistic pupils achieve five A*-C/4-9 grades, compared to 72% of neurotypical pupils. Concerns have been raised that certain features of GCSE exam papers, such as multi-part questions or use of idioms, may disadvantage neurodivergent students.  

What it will involve

The research team will: 

• Conduct a scoping review of the existing literature on factors affecting examination performance for neurodivergent students.  
• Use both traditional statistical and novel AI methods to analyse thousands of completed GCSE examination scripts across a range of subjects to establish (a) whether a range of question features predict differences in scores between students with different neurotypes, and (b) if so, what effects certain question features have on the answers given by neurodivergent students that cause them to lose marks.  
• Explore the influence of a range of background factors, e.g. cognitive ability and attendance, on the relationship between neurotype and exam performance.  
• Work with a team of assessment providers, educators and neurodivergent young people to develop best-practice exemplars of accessible GCSE examination papers, and test them with neurotypical and neurodivergent students to assess whether the new designs have reduced differences in exam outcomes for the two groups. 

Project outputs will include: 

• Practical guidance for writing unbiased questions 
• Co-designed accessible examination papers 
• Targeted fact sheets, summaries and infographics 
• Peer-reviewed publications  

How it will make a difference

Findings and resources will be shared with stakeholders including educators, assessment providers, policymakers, and the neurodivergent community through direct dialogue with key awarding and regulatory bodies, workshops and conferences, and print and social media. A key aim is to influence national policy and regulatory guidelines related to the upcoming redesign and digitisation of GCSEs.