Mandate offer of literal-language GCSE papers for students with autism

Mandate offer of literal-language GCSE papers for students with autism — 13 signatures. Status: open.

Petition background

Mandate the offer of literal language GCSE papers for autistic pupils. We want the Government to direct Ofqual to ensure exam boards provide an optional, literal-language GCSE exam pathway for autistic students across all subjects to remove unfair communication barriers.

Additional details

GCSE exams rely on figurative language, idioms, and double negatives. Many students with autism interpret language literally, meaning they are penalised for wording rather than their actual academic knowledge. Adjustments like extra time do not solve this. We want an optional "Direct Paper" path. These papers must keep identical academic standards, but require questions to be written straight to the point with abstract language removed. Let’s give all children a fair chance to show what they know.

View this petition on the official UK Parliament website

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