Best Practice

GCSE and A levels: Access arrangements in exams for EAL learners

Access arrangements are available for students who use English as an additional language and not all of them need approval. Glynis Lloyd looks at the rules in place and how we can prepare learners for using arrangements in the most effective way
Image: Adobe Stock

Schools have seen an increase in the number of multilingual learners who use English as an additional language (EAL). Many of these learners are new arrivals who are new to English and new to the English education and exam systems.

If they have been enrolled for GCSEs, they are likely to achieve better with special arrangements in place. But for many schools, providing these access arrangements for learners using EAL is a new challenge.

 

A diverse group

Multilingual learners are a very diverse group, with a wide range of proficiency in English. In addition to language challenges, being a new arrival in England with no knowledge or experience of the English schooling and exam systems puts them at a disadvantage in assessment that is designed for their English monolingual peers.

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