Scribes and assistive technology, such as voice activated computer software, are used as reasonable adjustments where learners cannot write or type using a word processor. This can be due, for example, to visual or mobility impairments. Scribes are people who write or word process a candidate’s dictated answers. Voice recognition systems produce a hard copy with predictive text when the candidate dictates into a word processor. Scribes can also be used as readers, and computer readers can be used in conjunction with voice activated software.

For most qualifications, the use of scribes and voice recognition systems is a reasonable adjustment that can be used in a straightforward way. However, where qualifications explicitly assess the ability to write, such as English and Foreign Language qualifications, the situation is more complex. The use of scribes and voice recognition software can have a direct impact on assessment objectives. In relation to such qualifications, it is important to balance the need to minimise disadvantage to disabled candidates by using scribes and their technological equivalent as a reasonable adjustment, whilst limiting the way that such reasonable adjustments are used to ensure the reliability of such qualifications is maintained.

There are mediation and interpretation issues that arise with both voice recognition software (through predictive text which spells and punctuates and may not be possible entirely to ‘turn off’) and human scribes (where the scribe generates spelling or punctuation). The unrestricted use of both these reasonable adjustments could undermine the spelling and punctuation-related assessment objectives of written English and Foreign Language components, and also the accuracy of language assessment objectives within Foreign Language written components.²⁷

Current arrangements regarding the use of scribes and voice recognition systems aim to balance the need to minimise disadvantage faced by disabled candidates with the need to maintain the integrity of the qualification:

4. Scribes and voice recognition systems are only allowed where a candidate cannot use another reasonable adjustment which allows them to demonstrate their written skills more completely, such as the use of touch typing or Braille input.
5. Scribes are currently allowed for use with assessments in English writing. However, marks awarded for spelling and punctuation are not available to candidates where they are generated by a scribe and not by the candidate. Examination cover sheets²⁸ state where punctuation and spelling are generated by the candidate’s dictation, and where they are generated by the scribe. As marks for spelling and punctuation typically form only a small part of the total marks available, this arrangement means that even where spelling and punctuation are not dictated, this has a minor impact on overall marks gained. This arrangement balances the need to maintain the reliability of the qualification with the need to minimise disadvantage to disabled candidates.
6. Scribes are currently allowed in qualifications where a candidate’s ability to write in a foreign language is being assessed, such as in GCSE and GCE Foreign Language qualifications, but only where the candidate spells each word letter by letter. Candidates generally dictate answers into a voice recorder in order to maintain the flow of the language and then re-run the recording, dictating each foreign language word letter by letter. Additional time is normally also used in such a situation. As accuracy of the language is a key assessment objective and often a major source of marks of Modern Foreign Language written components, the use of scribes with words spelled out minimises disadvantage to disabled candidates. This arrangement enables candidates to demonstrate their language accuracy skills, whilst maintaining the reliability of the qualification by ensuring that it is the candidate’s skills, and not the scribe’s skills, which are being assessed.
7. Voice recognition technology is currently not allowed for use with assessments in English writing due to the difficulty of spelling out words via technology which automatically generates words.
8. Arrangements are different for the writing component of Functional Skills English, where a scribe is not allowed, but voice recognition software is allowed.

27. The Department for Education’s White Paper, The Importance of Teaching has asked us to provide advice on how mark schemes could take greater account of the importance of spelling, punctuation and grammar for examinations in all subjects. In formulating this advice, we will work to ensure that any proposed policies/practices comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. [↩]
28. Cover sheets are used with certain reasonable adjustments, such as scribes and oral language modifiers (OLM), to clarify what input the scribe or OLM has had. [↩]