sheets where any of the line numbers would consist of 3 digits, stanzas should begin in cell 8, following verse lines in cell 6 and runovers in cell 10, and so on. Play form In play form, the speaker’s name will begin in the appropriate cell for a new paragraph if the speech is in prose, or a new stanza if in verse. A mixture of prose and verse in play form If there is a mixture of prose and verse in a play extract, the print line numbering should be retained throughout. In this case, for a speech in prose, the line number should be at the beginning of the braille line which contains the beginning of the print numbered line. In the case where a verse line is divided between 2 or more speakers, the subsequent part or parts of the verse line should follow the new speaker’s name after 3 intervening spaces. Footnotes Passages for comprehension, precis, translation, etc., occasionally have footnotes. For each note, print’s reference mark (usually a superscript number, asterisk or dagger) should be included at the point of reference, following print’s spacing. The notes themselves should be brailled as paragraphs at the end of the passage to which they apply, using the same reference mark at the beginning. Do not include a braille page and line reference. For reference marks which are superscript numbers use the superscript indicator at the point of reference, but not at the beginning of the text of the note at the end of the passage. Unnumbered asterisks or daggers do not require a superscript indicator in either case, even if appearing raised visually. Refer also to the section on Modern
essentially visually with the exam paper. Level two is intended for use by candidates who are blind or who have a significant visual impairment. It is envisaged that most candidates who submit a special request for an accessible PDF version of an exam paper will fall in the second category. However, in case this is not so, the awarding body should clarify with the examination centre submitting the request which level of accessibility the candidate requires, and they should pass this information on to the modifier. The screen reader version of the exam paper will generally be a PDF file for the main question text (although this will be subject to specification by the awarding body). This might be accompanied by diagrams in a medium chosen by the candidate and their exam centre, usually modified large print diagrams, or tactile diagrams on brailon or swell paper, with braille or print labels. There might also be additional PDF, HTML or other files, as dictated by the requirements of the exam. These might include content such as a screen shot that is to be examined electronically by the candidate with their screen reader, or sources in an English Literature or History paper, where the modifier or producer judge it would be easier to have them as separate files from the questions. Language When modifying material specifically to be accessed by means of a computer and screen reader it is essential to bear in mind the nature and limitations of speech as a communications medium. It is not proposed to cover the theory of this topic in any depth here, but the modifier should be experienced in working with pupils who use screen readers and should be keep in mind basic aspects such as the following. Speech is a serial medium, i.e. one thing follows another in a linear sequence, and a reader (hearer) cannot flick to and fro between parts of the material as easily as can be done visually.