At least one in six students had extra time for their GCSE and A-level exams last year, watchdog figures show.
Revised figures published by exams regulator Ofqual on Thursday show arrangements for 25 per cent extra time were approved last year for between 16.6 per cent and 25.5 per cent of all students taking exams.
This is equivalent to between 237,185 and 363,820 students for 2024-25.
In 2023-24, extra time was approved for between 14.7 per cent to 20.6 per cent of exam candidates - equivalent to 204,480 to 287,760 students.
Extra exam time for students with SEND
The proportion of students getting extra time is broadly in line with the proportion of students with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) in the population, Ofqual said.
According to the latest Department for Education data, 14.2 per cent of all students in England were receiving SEND support in 2025, and a further 5.3 per cent had an education, health and care plan.
Students in private schools are more likely to receive extra time; last year, between 22.4 per cent and 32.1 per cent of students taking exams in independent schools had this in place.
This is compared with 14.6 per cent to 22 per cent of students in state schools.
Access arrangements are measures put in place to make sure students have their needs met to complete their exams. In total, between 256,790 and 394,785 students taking exams last year had at least one access arrangement in place.
Having 25 per cent extra time is the most common access arrangement, followed by a computer reader, a scribe or speech recognition, extra time over 25 per cent and bilingual dictionaries.
Ofqual overstated extra exam time statistics
The figures are published in ranges after Ofqual pulled previous statistics on access arrangements, and after admitting it significantly overstated the number of students granted extra time.
The previous figures, which have now been withdrawn, had suggested nearly a third of students (30.1 per cent) were receiving 25 per cent extra time for their exams in 2023-24 - a 12 per cent rise on 2022-23.
The previous figures also showed a big divide in extra time arrangements for private school students (41.8 per cent) and students in non-selective state schools (26.5 per cent).
Ofqual chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham said last year he was concerned about the gap, and that Ofqual was investigating it.
Sir Ian said: “Today’s improved statistics will more accurately inform the legitimate interest the education sector and the public take in access arrangements.
“Access arrangements must meet the needs of students, allowing them to demonstrate fairly what they know, understand and can do. They must also be manageable for schools and colleges to implement.”
Increased reports of anxiety
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said schools had seen more requests for access arrangements after the pandemic, alongside “increased reports of anxiety and mental ill-health, and significant rises in numbers of children with additional needs”.
He said it is “right” that arrangements “are available to all students who need them”, but added that “the significant increase in take-up creates logistical challenges for schools” and settings need “more support to meet students’ needs, including funding for additional resources”.
Mr Whiteman said: “Even with access arrangements in place, high-stakes final exams and assessments can be a barrier to some students demonstrating attainment and progress.
“The government’s move to reduce GCSE assessment by a minimum of 10 per cent following the curriculum and assessment review is at least a step in the right direction, although much more must be done to improve the system.”
Last week, Sir Ian said that schools already have the ability to cut exam times by similar amounts recommended in the curriculum and assessment review by utilising all the exam boards.
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