Official Statistics

Access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A level: 2022 to 2023 academic year

Access arrangements allow skills and knowledge to be demonstrated by candidates with disabilities, temporary illnesses or special educational needs.

• From: Ofqual
• Published: 16 November 2023

This publication was withdrawn on 17 July 2025

In 2025, Ofqual analysed a more detailed access arrangements dataset that we had requested from exam boards. Our analysis highlighted that our previously published official statistics on access arrangements overstated the number of approved access arrangements in place for the exam cohort in each year. For more details, see Shedding new light on access arrangements data

Using this new more detailed dataset, we are strengthening our methodologies for analysis and quality assurance and plan to publish revised figures in our 2025 release. We intend for this release to include the academic years between 2020 to 2021 and 2024 to 2025, for which we have the new data.

While we complete that work, we are withdrawing the previously published statistics because of the limitations we have identified through our analysis.

This issue does not affect the figures relating to modified papers, which are based on a different data source and which are now available at Modified papers for GCSE, AS and A level: 2014 to 2024.

Applies to England

Documents

Access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A level: 2022 to 2023 academic year

Ref: Ofqual/23/7084/1

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Background information for access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A level: 2022 to 2023 academic year

Ref: Ofqual/23/7084/2

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Data tables for access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A level: 2022 to 2023 academic year

Ref: Ofqual/23/7084/3

ODS, 19.5 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Pre-release access list for access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A level: 2022 to 2023 academic year

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Details

Key headlines

The key headlines in access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A level for the 2022 to 2023 academic year in England were:

1. There were 556,435 approved access arrangements valid for use during the 2022 to 2023 academic year, up by 8.7% compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year. Please note that more than one type of access arrangement can be granted per candidate.

2. 5,560 centres (94.0% of all centres) had approved access arrangements that were valid for use this year for one or more of their candidates, compared with 5,485 centres (92.9% of all centres) in the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

3. Among the types of approved access arrangements, arrangements for 25% extra time made up 65.8% of all arrangements valid for use in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, compared with 65.3% in the 2021 to 2022 academic year. The next most common arrangement was for a computer reader or reader, making up 21.8% of all arrangements valid for use in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, compared with 22.4% in the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

4. The number of approved 25% extra time access arrangements valid for use during the 2022 to 2023 academic year was equivalent to 27.7% of all candidates taking exams in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, compared with 26.0% in the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

5. There were 62,805 requests granted for modified papers in summer 2023, up 2.7% on summer 2022.

User feedback

We welcome your feedback on our publications. Should you have any comments on this statistical release and how to improve it to meet your needs please contact us at data.analytics@ofqual.gov.uk.

Published 16 November 2023