Two weeks of school leaving exams begin for some 191,000 secondary school pupils on Tuesday. Most pupils – some 96,000 – come from vmbo or vocational streams. A further 56,000 are in the pre-college havo stream and 39,000 in the pre-university VWO.

According to RTL Nieuws, an increasing number of pupils are getting extra help with their school exams because they have learning issues including dyslexia and autism.

This year, some 31,000 will get extra help – such as more time to complete papers – a rise of 47% on two years ago. It is up to schools themselves if they feel a pupil needs extra time or a different space to take the test, but each case must be registered with the schools inspectorate.

The inspectorate told RTL that the increase in special cases may be due to a more focused approach to schools, so they are aware of the option.

The first exams on the timetable are history for vmbo pupils, music for pre-college pupils and Greek for those hoping to go to university.

The last exams take place on May 29 and the results will be published on June 12. Repeats for those who need to retake one or two subjects are in the week of June 18.