All WCAG criteria
WCAG 1.3.1 · PerceivableLevel A

1.3.1Info and Relationships

Information, structure, and relationships conveyed through presentation must be programmatically determined (in the code) or available in text.

Common failures

Patterns that fail this criterion.

  • 01Visual headings styled with `<div>` instead of `<h1>-<h6>`
  • 02Lists rendered with `<br>` separators instead of `<ul>/<ol>`
  • 03Tables without `<th>` scope attributes for header relationships
  • 04Form fields with placeholder-as-label (placeholder disappears on focus, no programmatic label)
  • 05Group of radio inputs without `<fieldset>` + `<legend>`
How to test

Testing approach: semi automated.

Automated catches missing labels, empty headings, table structure issues. Manual confirms visual-vs-semantic alignment (e.g. is this `<div>` actually used as a heading?).

axe-core rules

definition-listdlitemlistlistitemtable-fake-captionth-has-data-cellslabelform-field-multiple-labels
How to fix

Remediation steps.

  1. 1

    Use semantic HTML

    Headings = `<h1>`-`<h6>`, lists = `<ul>/<ol>`, tables = `<table>` with `<th scope="col"|"row">`, forms = `<label for>`.

  2. 2

    Group related fields

    Wrap radio/checkbox groups in `<fieldset>` with `<legend>` describing the group purpose.

  3. 3

    Where HTML semantics are insufficient

    Use ARIA carefully — `role="region"`, `aria-labelledby`, `aria-describedby` — but native HTML always first.

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Related criteria

Often appears with…

WCAG 4.1.2 · Level A

Name, Role, Value

All 50 WCAG 2.1 Level A + AA success criteria explained.

View the full checklist