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Under the Equality Act 2010, the University has a responsibility to ensure that students with disabilities are not treated less favourably than students without disabilities. This means that the University is expected to make reasonable adjustments to ensure the disabled person is not substantially disadvantaged in comparison to a person who is not disabled. The QAA Code of Practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education (1999) reinforces this:
‘Assessment and examination policies, practices and procedures should provide disabled students with the same opportunity as their peers to demonstrate the achievement of learning outcomes’. (Section 3, precept 13)
Recommendations by the Singleton Report: Dyslexia in Higher Education (1999) supported the view that as far as possible, errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation should be discounted in the work of student with dyslexia, and that marking instead should be based on content, ideas and critical acumen (Singleton et al, 1999).
Under the Equality Act 2010, the need to maintain academic standards is a fundamental principle, and may mean that in some circumstances there is a justification for a disabled student being treated less favourably than a non-disabled person. However, where possible, the University will seek to minimise this by allowing a student to validate the attainment of academic standards by using alternative means from those used by non-disabled students.
As students at university are most frequently expected to demonstrate their ability through written expression, students with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs), such as dyslexia, are likely to be disadvantaged when using this medium. Although extra time can compensate for slow reading, writing and retrieval of information, it cannot alleviate the underlying language processing difficulties. To ensure students with SpLDs are not treated less favourably for reasons of their disability, they should be provided special consideration when marking their coursework or examination work.
Students with Specific Learning Difficulties, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and ADHD, are considered to have a disability under the Equality Act 2010. The nature of their disability means that they have an individual pattern of difficulties, which can include:
For more details about dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties, please visitwww.lsbu.ac.uk/clsd/disabilities/
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Disability & Dyslexia Support (DDS), on behalf of LSBU, recommends what reasonable adjustments are made for students with disabilities. These are detailed on the student’s Support Arrangements Form, which is sent to the Disability Co-ordinator in each faculty. The Disability Co-ordinator will send the arrangements to the Course Director, who will circulate to all members of staff who teach the student, so that they are aware of how to best support the student.
The most common recommendations for students with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties for examinations may be:
Students who have the option of a negotiable extension on their Support Arrangements should be aware that the system for late submission of coursework has recently changed. Please see the new policy on the Student Gateway.
Some courses provide marking criteria for coursework and examinations, to ensure there is consistency between markers. If spelling, grammar and punctuation are not included as specific marking criteria, then the work for students with SpLDs, such as dyslexia, should be marked the same as for students who do not have SpLDs. This means that no student should be penalised for making errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation, as they are not being assessed for them. If the marking criterion includes marks for spelling, grammar and punctuation, then students with SpLD would not be penalised for errors.
In some subject areas, such as nursing, education and law, the accrediting bodies set the standards of the written work, so the issue of differentiated marking becomes quite difficult. In those subjects, the programme should state the aim and objectives and the degree of importance given to written language skills. The same applies for vocabulary on a foreign language course, and spelling/grammar in teacher training courses. This may mean that students with SpLDs may lose some marks for their weak spelling or grammar.
It is the responsibility of each academic department to devise clear marking criteria that will be applied to all assignment and examination submissions. If spelling, grammar and punctuation are assessment criteria, it should be stated, and how this affects the student’s grade should be clear. If spelling, grammar and punctuation are not mentioned in the marking criteria, then they would not be considered when marking the work of any students, whether of not they have a SpLD.
Students are usually expected to demonstrate gradual improvement in their knowledge of their subject areas, and of their spelling, grammar and punctuation between the first and final years of their study; it is important to consider how the marking guidelines reflect this. For example, students undertaking LLB Law would perhaps be given a degree of leniency in the amount of errors in written language in the first year of their course. Whereas, by the final year they would be expected to produce a piece of coursework that contains no errors, as this would reflect the level of work they would be expected to produce in the workplace. The marking criteria should be made explicit to all applicants to the course.
If students with dyslexia are losing marks through poor spelling and grammar and this is identified in their work, then they may be able to receive specialist tuition paid from the Disabled Students Allowance, which will enabled them to develop strategies to minimise their difficulties in the future.
Marking criterion |
Students with SpLD |
Students without SpLDs |
Spelling, grammar, punctuation are not included as specific criterion |
No loss of marks for errors |
No loss of marks for errors |
Spelling, grammar, punctuation areincluded as specific marking criterion |
No loss of marks for errors |
Marks reduced for errors |
Accurate spelling of technical terms in subject area are specified as marking criterion |
Marks reduced for errors |
Marks reduced for errors |
There is no obligation on tutors to ‘fill in the gaps’ or ‘read between the lines’ of a script. If the script is incomprehensible or the factual interpretation is flawed, it should be marked as such.
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If you have time, ask to see a draft of coursework. This may prove helpful to the student by showing them how to express themselves more clearly.
Read the work quickly
It is recommended that the work of a student with SpLD is read quickly at first. This usually makes it easier to assess the ideas, understanding and knowledge that are present.
Consider structure and order of ideas
Many students with SpLD have difficulty in organising thoughts, information and ideas in a logical order. This means the flow of their work may appear disjointed or repetitive. These students tend to have a holistic approach to reasoning and therefore may find it difficult to break their work into distinct paragraphs. Try to look at the essay as a whole. This will help make allowances for the lack of structure and linear sequential development.
Presentation
Students with SpLD can find it difficult to present ideas in an organised and structured format as discussed in the point above. As a result the principles of good presentation need to be taught. If presentation is an issue, marks should not be deducted but samples and model answers should be provided to develop a sense of appropriate framework.
Consider technical errors
Common indicators of SpLD are reversal of letters and/or numbers, omission of letters and/or whole words, incorrect use of punctuation such as omission of capital letters, full stops or very long sentences. Disregard any mistakes in spelling, number reversal, grammar, punctuation or syntax, unless they are part of the assessment criteria.
Do not mark/correct all spelling mistakes in any assignment; this is time consuming for the tutor and very disheartening for the student. You may want to mark/correct the spelling and grammar mistakes in the first one or two paragraphs only. Alternatively, you may like to use two different coloured pens (avoid red!) when marking. Use one pen for comments on concepts and ideas and another for errors in terminology and vocabulary that are part of the assessment criteria.
Use of Computer
Students with SpLDs using a computer for their assignments or examinations should have the same consideration given to their spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes than they would with handwritten work. The spell check facility on the word processor would not identify any errors with homophones (words such as, there, their), punctuation or grammar.
Giving feedback
When supporting a student with any disability, each student has a preferred way of learning and developing. It would be positive if the marking tutor is able to discuss with the student what they would find useful to be marked on their work; some students will be appreciative of spellings/grammar being pointed out and corrected, some students will not want this or will want to correct their own spelling/grammar mistakes.
Constructive criticism with a full explanation of what needs to be improved is most helpful for a student with a SpLD. Comments pertaining to lack of knowledge about the course should be given if necessary; however, comments referring to literacy deficits should not be made unless they are focussed on improving key vocabulary/abilities required on the course. The negative effects of multiple grammar, punctuation and spelling comments on a script can far outweigh the positives of well-meaning advice.
Students often find subtle innuendo and metaphor difficult to comprehend. Try to be explicit in the purpose and intent of your comments. Try to be as positive as possible.
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The DDS Marking Policy only asks tutors to consider the student’s written difficulties. To check other types of support the student is entitled to, please check the student’s Support Arrangements Form or contact Disability & Dyslexia Support.
If you have any questions relating to this document please contact Disability & Dyslexia Support on extension 6405, email disability@lsbu.ac.uk or visit the website on ww.lsbu.ac.uk/clsd/disabilities/
