Geography: guidance on supporting students with CVD during the exam 

We understand that many of you will have students sitting Geography exams this summer who have colour vision deficiency (CVD), which is often referred to as colour blindness. Around 1 in 100 students will be affected by CVD (NHS). Some of these students will be aware that they have CVD; however, some may find themselves unable to differentiate between colours for the first time during their exam.

We want to take this opportunity to remind you of the support students can receive on the day of their exam should they struggle to be able to differentiate between colours when responding to exam questions. Exam invigilators and SENCOs should also be aware of the support they’re able to give to students.

The Joint Council for Qualifications’ booklet on access arrangements and reasonable adjustments for 2022/23 (page 69, section 5.16) states that:

“For the access arrangements detailed below, there is not a requirement to process an application using Access arrangements online. No evidence is needed to support the arrangement for inspection purposes.

It’s important that we support those responsible for conducting exams, so that they’re aware that this is allowed and to feel confident to support any students who ask for help. Students themselves also need to be aware that they can ask for this support during the exam.

At AQA we’re committed to ensuring that our exam papers are accessible for all, and where the use of colour is necessary because of the requirements of the specification when it comes to geographical skills, we do our best to minimise the need to process difficult colour palettes.

There are a number of colour combinations that impact on students with CVD in different ways, so there’s no safe colour palette that can be used in exam papers. We continue to work hard on improving our assessments year-on-year and reduce any further impact as best we can.

If your students have any other accessibility requirements, please discuss this with your exams officer who will be able to advise on what arrangements can be put in place for your student.

If you have any further questions about Geography or any concerns about permissions, please contact the Geography Customer Support team at geography@aqa.org.uk or call 01483 477791.