RACE Survey for Students and Parents

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) is currently undertaking a review of the Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations (RACE) Scheme.

RACE is the scheme that provides accommodations in Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate exams for students with additional needs, including students with dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Dyslexia Ireland would like to hear from students and their parents/guardians about their experience of the RACE scheme.

This survey is anonymous.

Your feedback will help us identify how the current system is working and what changes are needed to make the RACE scheme better.

There are three sections in this survey:

Application Process (4 questions)
Range of Accommodations (3 questions)
Overall Opinion on the RACE Scheme (4 questions)

APPLICATION PROCESS

Question Title

* 1. How proactive was your school in identifying the need for RACE accommodations?

Not proactive at all

Not very proactive

Quite proactive

Highly proactive

Please elaborate your answer

Question Title

* 2. Was the RACE application process clearly explained to you by the school?

Not at all

Only a little

Quite well

Fully explained

Please elaborate your answer

Question Title

* 3. Was the outcome of the RACE application communicated to you early enough (e.g. so that you had time to practice with the accommodation(s) in mock exams)?

No, not at all

Not really

Yes, somewhat early

Yes, very promptly

Please explain why

Question Title

* 4. If your application was refused, was the reasoning provided by the SEC clear and easy to understand?

No reasoning was provided

Somewhat clear

Mostly clear

Very clear

Not applicable

Comments:

RANGE OF ACCOMMODATIONS

Question Title

* 5. How adequate are the exam accommodations currently being offered by the RACE scheme?

Completely inadequate

Somewhat inadequate

Fairly adequate

Fully adequate

Please elaborate on your answer

Question Title

* 6. How helpful is the 10 minutes of extra time being introduced for candidates in 2026?

Completely unhelpful

Helpful but not adequate additional time

Quite helpful

Very helpful

Not applicable

Comments

Question Title

* 7. Are there other accommodations that you think the RACE scheme should offer that are not currently being offered? (Please tick all that apply)

Extra time as a stand-alone accommodation

Adequate extra time (25% minimum, i.e. 15 minutes per hour)

Speech to text / dictation assistance

Being permitted to use your own device (computer) that you are familar with

Modified exam papers – size, colour, text size/font

Other (please specify)

OVERALL VIEW OF THE SCHEME

Question Title

* 8. In your opinion, does the current RACE scheme level the playing field for candidates with additional needs, including those with dyslexia and dyscalculia?

Not at all

Not sufficiently

Only a little

Fully

Please elaborate on your answer

Question Title

* 9. How much stress or anxiety did the RACE application process cause?

Extreme stress

Significant stress

A little stress

No stress at all

Please elaborate on your answer

Question Title

* 10. What changes would you like to see to make the exams and or the RACE scheme fairer for students with additional needs, including those with dyslexia and/or dyscalculia?

Question Title

* 11. Any other final comments or suggestions?

Thank you for taking the time to share your opinions. Please click the Done button below to finish this survey and share your responses with Dyslexia Ireland.

Your opinions will help to inform our ongoing advocacy to make examinations and the RACE scheme more accessible and fairer.