Months of learning remotely and learning in stressful in pandemic conditions throughout 2020 and 2021 has had a powerful effect on the reading age of students in the UK.

Studies suggest that around 20% of all 15-year-olds in the UK have a reading age of 11 and below, and 10% a reading age of 9 and below. The average reading age of a GCSE paper is 15 years and 7 months, and this disparity between actual and required reading age constitutes a significant gap that can influence grade attainment as well as self-confidence. Lower grades prevent some learners from going on to further and higher learning, and less-developed reading and decoding skills also prevent others from successfully applying for jobs.  

Initial data from the UK government (which has since been subject to re-examination) suggests that this Covid Learning Gap is equal to between 2 and 7 months of lost progress; which in real terms equates to between just under one and just over two terms of loss. But the real picture may well be starker and represent a much larger challenge to educators than these government figures indicate.  

Data gathered from over 200 UK school sources by EdTech leaders Scanning Pens’ Big Book Talk Survey suggests that 84% of students weren’t reading at age-appropriate levels at the start of 2021’s academic year. In addition to this, 68% of teachers felt that their students were reading at least nine months below target; and 69% said that their school wasn’t properly equipped with the necessary toolkit to aid reading recovery. Further qualitative research also indicates that students in Year 11 lack confidence in their reading and comprehension, and some feel apprehension towards the exam season ahead, in some part due to a lack of support in literacy studies and written and spoken English during the pandemic.  

The level of challenge is high, and teachers and support staff are working harder than ever. This is why the Joint Council for Qualifications has taken steps to facilitate support in reading for any student who requires it, and a key part of creating this supportive framework is using a reading pen as a normal way of working.  

C-Pen Exam Reader 2 has been approved by both Cambridge Assessment and the Joint Council for Qualifications, meaning that no special access arrangements are required. 

“SENCos may wish to consider the use of technology to a much greater extent instead of readers and scribes. Computer readers, examination reading pens, speech recognition technology and word processors not only allow candidates to work independently but are also a better preparation for Further and Higher Education and the world of employment.” – Important Information for SENCOs and Assessors, JCQ CIC 

If your institution is providing human readers as a reading support, you’ll be thinking about how you can address the increase in need that is in the current GCSE cohort. It can be a challenge to juggle rooming, budgeting and allocating individual support, and sadly, decisions often have to be made on these pragmatic factors as opposed to the potential for learning gains that might be achieved, or the positive impact that it may have on the individual.  

Human readers can cost upwards of £15.00 an hour. With the number of readers who look likely to benefit from support, this has the potential to strain financial provision dramatically across the education sector. However assistive technology solutions provide a simple and reliable reading support experience that can be much friendlier when it comes to budgeting: Exam Reader 2 is a support that can be used for hours at a time, across multiple exam seasons, and requires no ongoing costs or maintenance other than charging the long-life battery, and can provide a central, constant touchpoint in any reading support toolbox.  

With Exam Reader 2, it’s possible to give all the students in a cohort the support and the confidence that they need, even after the application period for formal accommodations and Form 8’s has passed.  

Any student may use Exam Reader 2 during an exam, provided it is a part of their Normal Way of Working (NWoW) outside of the exam. 

“A candidate was found to be mildly dyslexic in Year 7. The candidate has always used a reader in internal school tests. However, the SENCo trails the use of an examination reading pen which subsequently becomes her normal way of working within the centre. It is an effective arrangement, appropriate to her needs.” –Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments, JCQ CIC 

Establishing these devices as part of a Normal Way of Working opens the door to a much more positive exam and testing experience for students; appropriate to their needs, reliable and straightforward to use, and always there when they need them to be.  

They can also provide a boost to in-class reading as well as reading during exams, and are a vital part of a reading support toolbox that can provide high-level, entirely dependable support. When used in conjunction with other assistive devices such as reading windows or reading aids, they can become the nucleus of a support network that allows readers the confidence to feel and be more independent in their reading.  

For the greatest gains, allow students to use Exam Reader 2 at home, too. Encourage practise with it in the form of revision activities and past papers.  

Scanning Pens also provides a Normal Way of Working Record Sheet and File Notethat can be filled in to support a student’s use of Exam Reader 2 and can help with ways to facilitate embedding the device into a student’s Normal Way of Working.  

Exam Reader 2 is an assistive technology tool available to any student. At one end of the spectrum, it alleviates the need for a human reader to go into the exam with the student, and at the other, it provides the security of knowing that a word or sentence has been read correctly.  

Working memory is scaffolded by Exam Reader 2’s function of providing text that is highlighted while simultaneously giving audio feedback. Listening while reading promotes comprehension and confidence; and as Exam Reader 2 can be used with headphones, it means that it creates no disruption to a student’s regular working methodology or those of any students who are around them as they’re using it.   

Reading questions under time pressure can be stressful, and often results in errors in decoding and understanding what is required. Working memory is adversely affected by stress and examinations – so by presenting the student with tools that foster independence while reading back the examination question, we are supporting the literacy difficulty and increasing wellbeing and self-esteem by combatting the stress at the heart of exam season.  

To find out more about what Exam Reader 2 can do for students with dyslexia and literacy differences or to book a 30-day free trial for your school, head over to Exam Reader 2 at Scanning Pens.  

Following a purchase of Exam Reader 2, you have access to numerous resources via Scanning Pens to help ensure that you get the most out of your devices. You can find more information and support at the Scanning Pens Education Resources hub.