Can my child use a laptop in exams?

The rule

Yes — if typing is already your child’s normal way of working in class, the school can let them use a laptop in exams (spellcheck and predictive text off), with no JCQ application needed. JCQ (the Joint Council for Qualifications, which sets the exam rules for GCSEs and A-levels) calls this a word processor, and the decisive test is whether it is your child’s normal way of working within the school — not whether they have a diagnosis JCQ AARA 2025-26, section 5.8. A laptop can be allowed for a learning difficulty, a medical or physical condition, a sensory impairment, difficulty organising writing by hand, or simply slow or unreadable handwriting.

What does not count

Normal way of working is a real bar, not a formality. Under the 2025-26 rules a school cannot grant a word processor just because a child now wants to type, can work faster on a keyboard, or already uses a laptop at home. The school has to be able to show that typing is how your child usually produces written work in lessons. A senior leader must keep a written word processor policy that an inspector can ask to see, but no diagnosis, no formal assessment and no evidence file are required for a plain typing-only laptop.

The point most guides miss is that there are two different things, and only one of them is this easy:

• A plain laptop for typing (spellcheck, grammar check and predictive text switched off): the school decides under its own policy. No JCQ form, no diagnosis, no evidence.
• A laptop with spelling support (spellcheck left on) or with software such as speech-to-text or screen reading: this is a separate access arrangement that does need a formal Form 8 application and supporting evidence.

How to make it happen

Speak to the school’s SENCo (the special educational needs coordinator) or exams officer, not an online portal. Ask them to confirm in writing that typing is recorded as your child’s normal way of working and that this is covered by the school’s word processor policy. Do this well before the mocks, because the school needs a real history of your child typing in class, not a decision made the week of the exam. On the day, the device must have no access to the internet, stored notes or AI tools, and the spelling and predictive-text features must be off JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations 2025-26. Qualifying under the policy is the school’s call, so an early, documented conversation is what turns a likely yes into a settled one.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.