FEATURE FOCUS: EXAMS
And that’s where we steer around to digital exams.
When it comes to discussing digital exams, the conversation invariably gets locked in a rather circular discussion about barriers and cost, the risks to fairness, digital divide, and so on. But if you talk with school leaders, parents, employers – and above all, students – the main thing you hear is: this is ‘inevitable’, and we must start teaching and examining people in the medium in which they will live and work. Here’s another way to think about it. What would you say to the next generation, in 10 years’ time, when they say to us, why in heaven’s name didn’t you press the button on digital assessment – on-screen exams – back in 2025, when you had the chance? How ashamed are we going to be that we passed on this critical test, at a moment when the rest of the world moved on.
We talk a lot – AQA, I mean – about the demonstrable benefits of taking some exams digital. We have also pointed out, with hard evidence, that what we propose – small- entry subjects, limited components, securely delivered – will not cost much, carries very low risk and can be implemented easily in every school and college in England. We don’t have to go the whole hog immediately; indeed, it makes far better sense to build the use of digital assessment over time. But what we haven’t had is a proper conversation about the consequences of the Francis review not pushing the digital exam button. Are we happy to see a deepening gap between the way students work, and the way we test them?
Surely we should grasp the chance to build in accessibility for all students, including those with special needs, right from the start? To forfeit the opportunity to provide better exams for people with special needs? Today we often retrofit solutions to support students with additional needs, such as using different coloured paper or e-reader software. With
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digital assessment we could allow schools and colleges to control different accessibility options on screen, thereby cutting the admin burden of access arrangements – which would be a huge time and stress saver for schools and colleges, and for students themselves. What else? Are we happy to pass on greater security? Forgo the possibility of faster results? Ultimately, lower cost? Never mind fewer trees cut down for exam papers, fewer vans and lorries ferrying them back and forth. We firmly believe that the approach we advocate – step by careful step, taking the system with us, not overburdening schools and colleges with cost and hassle – is entirely achievable. And we can do this without burning precious cash that is better used elsewhere. We are confident that we can uphold public confidence in exams and deliver equally reliable results throughout what should certainly be a cautious transition. Incremental
implementation will enable us to properly work out how to execute safely, at a sensible price, and will also allow us to start solving the real deployment problems, which centre more on the space available in exam centres than on connections and kit.
Building from small numbers in small subjects to the hundreds of thousands who sit English GCSE each year might take a decade from here. But if we don’t seize this curriculum and assessment review opportunity now, you can make that 20 years, not 10. Do we really want to fall that far behind?
Taking the first step towards modernising the way we examine our young people could be one of the powerfully positive stories this Government can tell – a tale that speaks to an enduring legacy of gain, for our society, our economy, and the young people on whose future success those both depend.
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