Exam regulator Ofqual to explore options for online exams

Could paper tests like this be a thing of the past?

Could school exams of the future be taken online?

Ofqual, the organisation that makes sure exams in England are fair, is looking at the possibility of online testing for pupils.

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation says it will explore the use of online testing over the next three years.

The plans could be the first step towards online GCSEs and A-levels - the exams taken at the end of high school and beyond.

How would it work?

Ofqual doesn't want to rush the plans and wants to make sure testing is fair for all students

At the moment the idea is in its early stages, but Ofqual said it wants to "explore the role of adaptive testing" - when online digital exams would automatically adjust to suit a pupil's ability level.

Currently, exam papers are delivered to schools where pupils sit in a large hall, on a specific date, to complete the tests on paper.

Ofqual say the covid pandemic highlighted how this traditional way of testing is not suitable under all circumstances.

But it isn't going to rush to make big changes. Ofqual chair Ian Bauckham said:

"All proposed changes need to be carefully assessed for their impact on students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities."

What do teachers think?

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the plans to move away from exam papers.

"Our current reliance on a pen-and-paper exam system, organised at an industrial scale with Fort Knox-style security arrangements around the transportation and storing of papers, is hopelessly outdated and ripe for reform."

Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said that a greater role for technology was "worth researching" but that public opinion showed many people felt using "exams alone" was outdated.

She would like to see a broader way of measuring pupils' abilities, such as grading the work pupils do in class and for projects.

"Education, and the proof of what a student has achieved in their time at school and college, is about far more than showing what can be remembered in an end-of-course exam. Grades and assessments should reflect this, otherwise we are doing young people a disservice," she said.

What do you think of the idea? Would you rather sit your test on your computer or in an exam hall?

Let us know in the comments.