Every feature, explained.
SoloCogs is built for every kind of mind. Below is every accessibility tool we offer, what it does, who it helps, and how to turn it on. They're all free and they all live in the same control deck at the top of every page.
Where to find the controls
Every page of SoloCogs has a slim control deck pinned to the top of the screen. The stick-figure icon on the left opens a panel with all the accessibility tools. Click it once and the panel slides down; click anywhere outside it to close.
Your choices are remembered across pages and across devices - if you turn dyslexic font on at home, it'll already be on next time you sign in at school.
Read aloud
Hear the lesson
Reads the lesson content aloud in a UK English voice. Skips the menus, footer, and Cogs chat - just the lesson itself. Click again to stop. Works on every device with a modern browser.
Helpful for: dyslexic students, EAL students, anyone whose brain processes spoken language faster than written text.
Read along
Audio + highlighted subtitles
Same as Read aloud, but it ALSO highlights each word as it's spoken - like TV subtitles. Helps if you retain information better when text and audio land at the same time. Pair it with a coloured overlay for extra visual scaffolding.
Helpful for: visual-auditory learners, dyslexic students who like seeing where they are in the text, EAL students learning English pronunciation, anyone who finds TV subtitles helpful.
Exam-style reader
Read aloud in SoloCognition
In SoloCognition (the diagnostic), read-aloud follows JCQ exam-reader rules: it reads exactly what's on the page - including formulas character-by-character ("C u superscript two plus"). It does NOT interpret. This matches what an exam-day reader is allowed to do, so practice translates to real exam conditions.
Helpful for: students with a reader as an exam access arrangement, dyslexic students preparing for an exam, EAL students.
Dark mode
Easier on the eyes
Swaps the page from light to dark - text becomes light on a dark background. Reduces glare for long study sessions and helps some students with light sensitivity. Your choice is remembered across pages.
Helpful for: students with light sensitivity, autistic students who find bright white pages overstimulating, late-evening study sessions.
Dyslexic font
Letter shapes that don't flip
Switches the font to Atkinson Hyperlegible - designed by the Braille Institute to reduce letter confusion (no more b/d/p/q lookalikes). Many dyslexic readers find their reading speed jumps with this on.
Helpful for: dyslexic students, students with visual processing differences, anyone whose eyes "trip" on certain letters.
↑ This card is rendered in the dyslexic font so you can see it.
Bigger / smaller text
Text size +/-
Bumps the body text up or down by ~10% per tap. Three sizes up, three sizes down. Useful if the default is too cramped or you want to fit more on the screen.
Helpful for: visually impaired students, students reading on a small phone screen, students who want more whitespace.
↑ This card is rendered at the larger size so you can see it.
Colour overlay
Tinted page
Adds a subtle colour wash over the page (or removes it). Eight preset colours - cream, yellow, mint, rose, sky, orange, lavender, aqua - or pick any custom colour with the colour-picker. Reduces visual stress for some dyslexic and Irlen-syndrome readers - the right colour can feel like the text suddenly "holds still".
Helpful for: dyslexic students, Irlen-syndrome students, autistic students who find pure white surfaces glaring.
Plain language
Simpler wording, same meaning
Rewrites lessons in shorter sentences with less scientific jargon while keeping every AQA-required term. Where a section has a plain version, it is used automatically when this toggle is on - and every "Standard view / Plain language" button on individual sections also flips this preference so the two stay in sync. You can turn it back off any time.
Helpful for: EAL learners, dyslexic students, students with a diagnosed language-processing difference, anyone who prefers direct wording.
Stretch mode
Higher content pre-expanded
For high-achieving students: automatically expands every Higher-tier + Triple-tier "extension" card on resource pages so stretch content is visible by default instead of hidden behind a "Peek" button. Foundation-common content still shows normally - this doesn't hide anything you need.
Helpful for: students aiming for grades 7-9, students on the Higher paper who want the tighter Higher-first path.
Mute Cogs
Quiet mascot mode
Cogs (our friendly gear-shaped mascot) talks and animates by default. Mute Cogs stops the sound effects AND slows the animations - useful if Cogs is distracting rather than helpful.
Helpful for: autistic students sensitive to motion / sound, ADHD students who find the mascot distracting, students working in shared / quiet spaces.
Ask Cogs
Mid-lesson nudge
Tap Ask Cogs and the mascot pops up with a short, plain-English hint tailored to the section you're on. Doesn't give you the answer - just a "what to think about" nudge.
Helpful for: anyone stuck on a tricky concept, students who don't want to ask the class teacher, neurodivergent students who need a "way in" prompt.
Tap-to-translate formulas
Chemistry formula reader
In SoloLab lessons, chemistry formulas like H₂O or Cu²⁺ are underlined with a dotted line. Tap or hover over them and a translation appears: "H₂O - water" or "Cu²⁺ - copper two plus". Helpful when subscripts and superscripts look like Greek to you.
Helpful for: dyslexic students, EAL students, anyone new to chemistry notation.
How your settings help with exam access arrangements
JCQ (the body that runs GCSEs) grants exam access arrangements like extra time, a reader, or a coloured overlay when the student can show those tools are their "normal way of working" over a sustained period.
That's where SoloCogs helps: every time you toggle dark mode, switch to dyslexic font, or pick the mint overlay, your normal way of working is logged in your SoloSight profile. When your SENCo applies for an arrangement, they can pull a dated report showing exactly which features you've been using, how often, since when.
This is genuinely useful evidence. A SENCo trying to win a Form 8 application much prefers "Theo has used the cream colour overlay in 87% of his SoloCogs sessions since Year 9" over "his mum says he prefers cream paper".
Tools your computer also has
Beyond what SoloCogs offers, your device has powerful accessibility tools too:
- Zoom (browser): Cmd/Ctrl + and Cmd/Ctrl - on any page. Stronger than our text-size buttons.
- Screen reader: Windows has Narrator (Ctrl + Win + Enter), Mac has VoiceOver (Cmd + F5), Chromebook has ChromeVox (Ctrl + Alt + Z). SoloCogs is built with semantic HTML so these work properly.
- System dark mode: turning on system-wide dark mode often forces websites into dark mode automatically.
- Reduce motion: Mac (Settings → Accessibility → Display), Windows (Settings → Accessibility → Visual effects). When this is on, SoloCogs disables most of its animations automatically.
- Voice typing: built into Windows (Win + H), Mac, and Chrome. Use it in any text answer box if writing is slow.
Is there a feature missing?
Genuinely - email hello@solocogs.co.uk and tell us what would help. We're a small team built by an educator, and we add features based on real student requests.