---
title: If a child has a speech difficulty how do we mark their answers?
description: LanguageScreen evaluates children’s ability to process and produce language, not speech articulation. Consistent misarticulations can still be marked correct if the child encodes the sentence accurately. However, omissions of words or morphemes—such as missing verb endings—make a response incorrect.
---

[Skip to content](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/if-a-child-has-a-speech-difficulty-how-do-we-mark-their-answers#main-content)

English - United Kingdom

Show submenu for translations

[Get in touch](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en-gb)

[![OxEd\_logo](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/OxEd/OxEd_Keyline_logo.png?width=205&height=97&name=OxEd_Keyline_logo.png)](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/?hsLang=en-gb)

Open main navigation

Close main navigation

- English - United Kingdom
  
  Show submenu for translations
- [Get in touch](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/kb-tickets/new)

 How can we help you?

- There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

1. [FAQ](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/?hsLang=en-gb)
2. [Assessments - FAQ - LanguageScreen - MathsScreen - ReadingScreen](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/assessments-faq-languagescreen-mathsscreen-readingscreen?hsLang=en-gb)
3. [Using LanguageScreen](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/assessments-faq-languagescreen-mathsscreen-readingscreen?hsLang=en-gb#using-languagescreen)

# If a child has a speech difficulty how do we mark their answers?

LanguageScreen assesses children’s ability to process and produce language e.g. naming/identifying objects, responding to questions about a story and repeat increasingly complex sentences, however it does not assess pronunciation or speech production issues.

 

If a child has a problem that is purely articulatory you can credit their response as correct if the way they articulate a sound is consistent with their speech system - so if a child consistently misarticulates "b" as "d" if they say "bus" as "dus" they do not lose a mark.

 

So for example if the child says "zhh tesher pamised the boy a shicker" (the teacher promised the boy a sticker) the child has encoded the sentence correctly (no words or morphemes omitted or altered) but the sounds are not well articulated. That child can be credited with getting the item correct.

 

If on the other hand they have omitted part of the word e.g. The dog run away, rather than, The dog runs away, the child has omitted a morpheme which makes their answer incorrect.

- [Account and School Data Management - FAQ](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/account-and-school-data-management-faq?hsLang=en-gb#main-content)

    - [Account Creation and Login](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/account-and-school-data-management-faq?hsLang=en-gb#account-creation-and-login)
    - [Managing School Data](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/account-and-school-data-management-faq?hsLang=en-gb#managing-school-data)
    - [Account Management and Subscriptions](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/account-and-school-data-management-faq?hsLang=en-gb#account-management-and-subscriptions)
- [NELI Intervention and NELI Training - FAQ - Whole Class - NELI Preschool](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/neli-intervention-and-neli-training-faq-whole-class-neli-preschool?hsLang=en-gb#main-content)

    - [Identifying pupils to receive NELI](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/neli-intervention-and-neli-training-faq-whole-class-neli-preschool?hsLang=en-gb#identifying-pupils-to-receive-neli)
    - [NELI - the Nuffield Early Learning Intervention](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/neli-intervention-and-neli-training-faq-whole-class-neli-preschool?hsLang=en-gb#neli-the-nuffield-early-learning-intervention)
    - [Downloadable Elements of NELI Resource Kits](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/neli-intervention-and-neli-training-faq-whole-class-neli-preschool?hsLang=en-gb#downloadable-elements-of-neli-resource-kits)
    - [NELI Training on the FutureLearn platform](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/neli-intervention-and-neli-training-faq-whole-class-neli-preschool?hsLang=en-gb#neli-training-on-the-futurelearn-platform)
    - [Whole Class](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/neli-intervention-and-neli-training-faq-whole-class-neli-preschool?hsLang=en-gb#whole-class)
    - [NELI Preschool](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/neli-intervention-and-neli-training-faq-whole-class-neli-preschool?hsLang=en-gb#neli-preschool)
- [Assessments - FAQ - LanguageScreen - MathsScreen - ReadingScreen](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/assessments-faq-languagescreen-mathsscreen-readingscreen?hsLang=en-gb#main-content)

    - [Using LanguageScreen](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/assessments-faq-languagescreen-mathsscreen-readingscreen?hsLang=en-gb#using-languagescreen)
    - [Using ReadingScreen](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/assessments-faq-languagescreen-mathsscreen-readingscreen?hsLang=en-gb#using-readingscreen)
    - [How to See Assessment Results – Reporting Help](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/assessments-faq-languagescreen-mathsscreen-readingscreen?hsLang=en-gb#how-to-see-assessment-results-reporting-help)
    - [How to Assess Pupils](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/assessments-faq-languagescreen-mathsscreen-readingscreen?hsLang=en-gb#how-to-assess-pupils)
- [FAQs](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/faqs?hsLang=en-gb)

- Home
- Products
- Pricing
- Blog
- Company

[![OxEd\_Keyline\_logo](https://support.oxedandassessment.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/OxEd/OxEd_Keyline_logo.png?width=150&height=71&name=OxEd_Keyline_logo.png "OxEd_Keyline_logo")](https://oxedandassessment.com/)

[mailto:support@oxedandassessment.com](mailto:support@oxedandassessment.com)

Copyright © 2025, OxEd and Assessment Limited