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FEATURE FOCUS: EXAMS
Adopting a new exam model to bring education back into the 21st century
ongoing COVID-absences. Student exams have been impacted by COVID-
19 for far too long and, as cases skyrocket by around a million a week, further disruptions loom. This in turn points to the need to assess whether the time is now right to consider a new – potentially more robust – exam model that also makes the exam process fair, consistent and accessible for all. To do so requires a more agile and innovative
approach to exams. Switching to digital assessment could alleviate many of the challenges the sector has already identified and help to future-proof high-stakes assessment in the “new normal”.
I
n our second feature this month looking at the exam system, Ian Castledine, Head of
Proposition for Assessment at RM, argues that a new assessment model is now needed to truly bring education into the 21st century. Despite Nadhim Zahawi announcing that
A-Level and GCSE exams will go ahead this summer, there’s still no promise that all students can take those exams in person thanks to
Broadening the scope of what “good” looks like In so many ways digital technologies have been the saviour during the pandemic. While many schools looked to technology to facilitate remote learning and virtual lessons over the last two years, they quickly found that as a by-product, technology made lessons more engaging, collaboration more enlightening and communication more efficient. Now that this bridge has been crossed, there are many more opportunities technology can offer students, teachers and parents. And in no area is this truer than in assessment.
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www.education-today.co.uk Recalling topics learnt in the classroom is only
testing what one can remember, rather than skill. This layout alone should not be a way to define intelligence. What’s more, studying and revising for two years places enormous pressure on a student’s mental health with the NSPCC and UK Government having designated web pages to deal with such stresses. As it stands, we’re still – in a lot of cases –
using outdated methods of assessment, such as endless rows of students gathered in a large hall, heads down for multiple hours in silence, with no notes. It does not have to be that way. The purpose of
education should be to ensure pupils learn real- world skills to ensure they have a prosperous future.
Take notes from universities It’s therefore unsurprising that research from Bauhaus Education found that 71% of students in years 10 – 13 feel that the current exam system is outdated and needs to be overhauled. Parents also agree; with 69% believing that the exam system needs to be modernised. Qualifications should be aligned to the “what
happens next” for a student, whether that be a GCSE, A-level, vocational or professional qualification. It needs to make sense and be applicable to the next phase of that student’s
May 2022
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