The first big development was gaining approval from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) for pen scanners to be used in exams. This was followed by us working with C-Pen to develop new state of the art pens scanners that have built-in cameras rather than scanners and that speak with a really good digital voice.
More than 50,000 children a year in the UK have help with reading the exam questions in their GCSEs and A-Levels. Typically, these students are put in a separate room to their peers with a human reader. The advent of the C-Pen Exam Reader now means students who struggle with reading can be back in the main exam hall with headphones plugged in hearing any words or lines of text read aloud.
The arrangement is ‘centre delegated’, so a school can allow anyone who struggles with reading to use the pen, as long as it is part of their normal way of working. So as well as helping people who have Access Arrangements, this pen can now be used by people who didn’t qualify for Access Arrangements and for people who have English as an additional language.
The device can also be used in Cambridge International Exams such as the iGCSE and in Scottish Qualifications Authority exams and the International Baccalaureate are expected to make an announcement soon.
In a nutshell the C-Pen Exam Reader helps a school relieve the pressures of resourcing both exams and everyday classroom support. But most importantly a student equipped with a C-Pen is able to work and learn on their own. It increases independence, confidence and raises self-esteem, which ultimately sets them up for the real world where they’ll have to manage without the continual support of another human being.
The pens are £166.67ex vat and available in two formats: the C-Pen Reader, which includes reading aloud, Collins dictionary, data capture and voice recorder, and the C-Pen Exam Reader, which has only the reading aloud functionality. Scanning Pens Ltd offers schools a 30 day free trial so they can effectively try before they buy.
Visit Bett stand A220 to find out more. Alternatively, visit www.examreader.com / www.readerpen.com or contact [email protected] / +44 (0)20 7976 4910 for more information.