Vol. 500 No. 2
64 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason dyslexic children are not allowed to use a word processor with a spellcheck facility in sitting State exams in view of the fact spelling difficulties are a key feature of the disability and seeking to examine spelling of such a person is discriminatory. [3614/99]
The objective in making special arrangements at the certificate examination for students, who have either specific learning difficulties or difficulties which arise from a physical or medical condition, is to ensure as far as possible that such candidates are enabled to demonstrate at the examination their level of ability, while at the same time not conferring an unfair advantage over other candidates in the same examination. The use of a word processor is granted in a very small number of cases, to students who would otherwise have extreme difficulty presenting legible material for examination. This can arise where there is a physical impairment or in some instances a specific learning difficulty.
For examinations in language subjects granting access to a spell check or thesaurus facility would be the same as granting access to a dictionary. I am sure the Deputy will agree that, in the interests of equity and fairness across the entire body of candidates and indeed to ensure the credibility of the examination system it would be inappropriate to allow some candidates a facility that is not available to all candidates in subjects where spelling skills are under assessment and where the certification implies that the candidate has those skills.
