3.3 Edit links not associated with questions (Medium)

3.3.1 WCAG 1.3.1 (A), 2.4.4 (A) - Desktop, Mobile, iPad

On the ‘Report Overview’ in Journey 2 and ‘Manage Report’ in Journey 3, summary details are presented with “Edit” links visually aligned with a specific question and answer, but there is no programmatic association between them. Screen reader users hear a repeated list of “Edit link” with no indication of which question each link relates to.

This makes it difficult for users relying on assistive technologies to understand what action each link performs, potentially leading to confusion or mistakes. It also fails to meet expected accessibility standards for meaningful link context.

This is similarly observed with the “Remove” links in the Supporting Documents section in Journey 2 as well as the User Details pages in Journey 4.

Sighted users can skim through a web page to get a quick overview of the content and functionality. Screen reader users often achieve this by going through certain elements of the page such as hyperlinks and buttons. Therefore, it is important to provide context to these interactive elements so that they know its purpose without having to navigate through additional content.

Similarly, when multiple elements have the same label text, screen reader users who navigate through the links using a list may not be able to differentiate between them. They heavily rely on the linked text to understand the destination or purpose of a button. If multiple links have identical text, it becomes challenging for them to determine which element they want to follow.

For a positive example, see [Positive: Edit link programmatically linked to context:::::::::::::: (Positive)].

FIGURE 3.5: Edit links on Report Overview page

FIGURE 3.6: Remove links in Supporting Documents section

3.3.2 Code Snippet

<div>
    <dt class="govuk-summary-list__key">
        <span class="error">
            Do you live with JohnTest?
        </span>
    </dt>
    <dd class="govuk-summary-list__value">
        <span>Please answer this question</span>
    </dd>
    <dd class="govuk-summary-list__actions">
        <a href="...">Edit</a>
    </dd>
</div>

3.3.3 Recommendation

Ensure each “Edit” link has programmatic context so screen reader users can identify which question it relates to. This can be done by adding visually hidden text inside the link to create a unique accessible name:

<a href="/.../from=summary" class="govuk-link">
    Edit
    <span class="govuk-visually-hidden"> Do you live with JohnTest?</span>
</a>

Alternatively, you can reference the information using aria-describedby:

<dt class="govuk-summary-list__key" id="q-live-with-client">
    Do you live with JohnTest?
</dt>
...
<a href="/report/187/visits-care/step/1?from=summary" 
 aria-describedby="q-live-with-client">
    Edit
</a>

3.3.4 Spot Check: February 2026

This issue has not been resolved. The Edit/Remove links in Journey 2 are not associated with their context, and screen reader users would have to explore the page to identify the element the link refers to.

This remains a ‘Medium’ severity issue.

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