Interactive Exam Papers

[APMerry]

A Student with specific needs is meant to have received interactive exam papers so they can complete the papers on their computer. When the files came on the morning of the exam from Pearson, they were just regular PDF files that we couldn't edit in any way without the use of something like Adobe Acrobat.

 

Has anyone experienced similar with interactive exam papers? Their website is very vague regarding what software we should use or the format the files will come in.

[Steve21]

That sounds about right. The interactive papers are just designed for software to read/write (as in remove all the random rubbish so a reader understands it).

 

It's down to how the individual uses it in terms of what software you'd use normally, some people just use a reader with it and then the normal paper to write on manually, or if you're writing on it electronically it's down to what you're providing (or at least was last time I used it)

 

Steve

[RLR]

One of our students uses Word Processing and requires their paper to read to them. We use ReadWrite Gold for the screen reading and ExamWritePad for the word processing. Both are ran off the same laptop that has two screens attached.

[APMerry]

Thanks for the quick responses. Speaking to Pearson this morning, they seem to suggest the file should just be editable without the need for specific software.

[RLR]

Thanks for the quick responses. Speaking to Pearson this morning, they seem to suggest the file should just be editable without the need for specific software.

 

If it's a PDF then you will need a PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat. PDFs are not really meant to be editable but is possible using the correct software unless. Maybe it's a multiple choice exam and they are meant to be able to use drop down menus or something that Pearson have added in?

[localzuk]

So, it all depends what they mean by editable. If it is just a normal PDF, then you'd need something like Adobe Acrobat DC (the paid one) to edit it. If it is a PDF they've turned into a form, then you would be able to fill that in using most modern PDF readers.

 

The other option is they're expecting you to use Fill & Sign in Adobe Reader - this allows you to write anywhere on the PDF.

[APMerry]

The Example Paper I was given has editable text boxes all throughout the PDF file. You can even edit it just using a web browser.

 

That's not what arrived on Exam day though.

[localzuk]

Sounds like they sent you the wrong thing.

[mavhc]

I'd hate to think what the auto save was like on those though

[Linfit]

Looks like they have sent or your EO has downloaded the wrong version.

 

Provision of digital papers this year has been terrible from all the boards - some AQA ones have not appeared on the portal until after the scheduled start time, some only have certain versions of the paper - we got sent a listening test this morning from

Pearson which was for extra time candidates, needed the normal one.

 

Don't even get me started on their websites and upload portals - complete mess.