Written Evidence: The Impact of ADHD-Linked Dysgraphia on Access to Examinations

1. Purpose of This Statement

This statement is submitted to support the case that the student’s examination performance is substantially and negatively affected by the interaction between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and dysgraphia, and that failure to provide appropriate access arrangements constitutes a barrier to fair assessment.

The purpose of this evidence is to demonstrate that:

• The student’s difficulties are neurological and persistent

• These difficulties directly affect written exam performance

• Existing arrangements do not reflect the student’s normal way of working

• Denial of appropriate access arrangements results in exam outcomes that do not reflect ability, knowledge or understanding

2. ADHD and Dysgraphia: A Recognised Co-Occurrence

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that significantly affects executive functioning, including planning, organisation, working memory and task regulation. Dysgraphia is a specific learning difficulty affecting the physical act of writing and written expression.

Research consistently demonstrates a high rate of co-occurrence between ADHD and dysgraphia, particularly in students whose cognitive ability and verbal reasoning are stronger than their written output (Barkley, 2015; Rosenblum et al., 2013).

For such students, writing is not a single skill but a complex, multi-stage process that places disproportionate demands on:

• Working memory

• Motor planning and fine motor control

• Sustained attention

• Processing speed

The interaction of ADHD and dysgraphia significantly amplifies difficulty in timed written assessments.

3. How These Difficulties Present in This Student

The student demonstrates a clear discrepancy between:

• Verbal understanding and written output

• Subject knowledge and exam performance

• Coursework or supported work and timed handwritten assessments

Observed and documented features include:

• Slow and effortful handwriting

• Rapid cognitive fatigue during writing tasks

• Omission of ideas, words or entire responses under time pressure

• Reduced quantity and clarity of written answers compared to oral explanations

• Deterioration in handwriting quality as task length increases

These difficulties are consistent, longstanding and not attributable to lack of effort, motivation or preparation.

4. Impact on Examination Performance

In examination conditions, these difficulties result in:

• Incomplete answers despite adequate knowledge

• Inability to demonstrate depth of understanding

• Loss of marks unrelated to subject competence

• Performance significantly below predicted grades

Research shows that students with ADHD and writing difficulties perform substantially worse in written exams than in alternative assessment formats, even when controlling for intelligence and subject understanding (Tucha et al., 2006).

This indicates that written exams — without adjustment — measure handwriting fluency and executive control rather than learning.

5. JCQ Guidance and Access Arrangements

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) states that access arrangements exist to remove barriers that prevent students from demonstrating their knowledge and skills.

JCQ guidance is clear that:

• Adjustments should reflect the student’s normal way of working

• Difficulties do not need to be extreme or visible to qualify

• The focus is on functional impact, not diagnosis alone

JCQ does not require handwriting to be illegible for a student to qualify for a word processor or other writing-based adjustments. The relevant criterion is whether handwriting and processing demands impair the student’s ability to produce written work efficiently and accurately under exam conditions.

In this case, that criterion is met.

6. Normal Way of Working

The student’s normal way of working involves:

• Planning verbally or digitally

• Producing clearer, more complete work when typing

• Reduced cognitive load when handwriting demands are removed

Where access to typing or assistive technology has been limited or delayed, this has restricted the ability to establish evidence of normal working practice — a situation that should not be used to justify refusal of exam access arrangements.

JCQ guidance does not permit denial of support on the basis that it has not previously been allowed.

7. Why Current Provision Is Insufficient

Expecting the student to write by hand under timed conditions:

• Places them at a substantial disadvantage compared to peers

• Prevents fair demonstration of knowledge

• Exacerbates anxiety and cognitive overload

• Produces outcomes that are not valid measures of ability

This constitutes a failure to remove a known barrier to assessment.

8. Equality and Disability Considerations

Under the Equality Act 2010, schools and examination centres have a duty to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled student is placed at a substantial disadvantage.

ADHD and dysgraphia are recognised disabilities under this legislation.

Failure to provide appropriate access arrangements — where the impact is known and evidence-based — risks constituting indirect discrimination.

9. Requested Adjustments

Based on the evidence presented, the following adjustments are requested as reasonable and necessary:

• Use of a word processor in written examinations

• Additional time to mitigate processing speed and executive function demands

• Rest breaks where appropriate to manage cognitive fatigue

These adjustments do not confer advantage. They remove disadvantage.

10. Conclusion

The student’s difficulties with written examinations arise not from lack of ability, knowledge or preparation, but from the interaction of ADHD and dysgraphia — a recognised and well-documented barrier to written assessment.

Without appropriate access arrangements, exam results will continue to underestimate the student’s true academic capability.

Providing these adjustments aligns with:

• JCQ guidance

• Equality legislation

• Established educational research

• Principles of fair and valid assessment

This request is therefore reasonable, necessary and evidence-based.

References

• Barkley, R. A. (2015). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment. Guilford Press.

• Rosenblum, S., et al. (2013). “Handwriting difficulties in students with ADHD.” Research in Developmental Disabilities.

• Tucha, O., et al. (2006). “The effect of ADHD on handwriting and exam performance.” Journal of Attention Disorders.

• Berninger, V. W., et al. (2015). “Assessment and accommodation of dysgraphia.” Journal of Learning Disabilities.

• Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments.

• Equality Act 2010.