An examination board is providing pupils the possibility to be assessed digitally of their GCSE English exams from subsequent 12 months.
Pearson, which runs examination board Edexcel, is aiming for GCSE college students to have the ability to sit on-screen exams within the core topic by summer time 2025, in the event that they select to take action.
As much as 125,000 college students within the UK may have the choice to take Edexcel’s GCSE English language and English literature exams on-screen for the primary time.
The examination board’s on-screen GCSEs in English – which might be assessed in summer time subsequent 12 months – are topic to regulatory approval by Ofqual.
Pearson Edexcel hopes to have the ability to supply an on-screen possibility for all GCSEs by 2030 to extend accessibility for college students, in addition to different advantages.
The examination board stated it has seen extra college students utilizing phrase processing for his or her responses to GCSE examination questions, as a part of entry preparations.
Sharon Hague, managing director for Pearson Faculties, stated: “This can be a pivotal second for on-screen evaluation within the UK. For the primary time, in summer time 2025, college students will be capable of sit an examination in a core topic totally on-screen in the event that they select to take action.
“We’ve heard loud and clear from college students and lecturers that they need a selection in how they take exams. That’s the reason we’ll supply each on-screen and paper-based examination choices.”
College students who take Pearson Edexcel’s GCSE in pc science are already assessed partially on-screen and the examination board has begun rolling out digital assessments for its worldwide GCSEs.
This would be the first time that the primary English GCSEs shall be provided on-screen.
Ms Hague added: “On-screen is a greater expertise for college students who want accessibility changes. College students can zoom in to extend font measurement and select color filters on-screen throughout exams, one thing their faculties or school would in any other case must request upfront of their exams.
“On-screen brings advantages for all college students too. They will spotlight and annotate info, lower and paste textual content and make straightforward edits to their solutions. It’s what many college students are used to doing after they work from home and within the classroom, and it’s undoubtedly how they may work of their careers too.”
Faculties will nonetheless have the choice to supply paper-based exams, in addition to on-screen assessments, below the examination board’s plans.
It comes as plenty of the UK’s main examination boards have taken steps in the direction of digital evaluation.
Final month, examination board OCR introduced it could supply a digitally-assessed GCSE in pc science for pupils beginning their course in 2025.
In the meantime, examination board AQA is aiming to roll out on-screen exams over a interval of years and it hopes that college students will sit no less than one main topic digitally by 2030.
The studying and listening parts of GCSE Italian and Polish can be the primary to maneuver to digital exams in 2026, in accordance with the proposals by AQA.
Geoff Barton, basic secretary of the Affiliation of Faculty and School Leaders (ASCL), stated: “It’s encouraging that examination boards are persevering with to discover new types of digital evaluation.
“It’s clear that an examination system that depends purely on pen-and-paper testing is outdated and we all know that many college students and their lecturers will welcome the chance to supply typed solutions.
“In addition to being extra accessible for some college students, digital examination papers ought to show easier to mark, simpler to move and hopefully inexpensive to manage.”
He added: “The transfer in the direction of on-line evaluation is constructive and overdue, however doesn’t come with out challenges – together with the continuing drawback hole between those that could have extra entry to know-how at house and due to this fact extra familiarity with its calls for.
“It’s important that faculties are clearly guided by means of this course of and have the mandatory sources to place in place the digital infrastructure they should ship on-line exams going ahead.”
Steve Rollett, deputy chief govt on the Confederation of Faculty Trusts (CST), stated “On-screen evaluation seems to have the potential to assist college students, particularly these with specific wants, who may wrestle to entry conventional paper exams.
“We hope this improvement will assist kids whereas retaining the general integrity of the examination system.”
An Ofqual spokesperson stated: “Ofqual is dedicated to supporting well-evidenced innovation in how examinations are taken. Above all, it’s important that examinations are each accessible and honest to all college students taking them.
“We’ll consider intimately Pearson’s proposals when they’re submitted for evaluation. Our precedence shall be ensuring their method is honest to all college students, whether or not they take their GCSE on display screen or proceed to take action on paper.”
A Division for Schooling (DfE) spokesperson stated: “The Division and Ofqual are taking time to grasp the alternatives and implications of digital evaluation to tell any selections about the way forward for on-screen assessments.
“Because the unbiased regulator of {qualifications} in England, Ofqual requires that any GCSE or A-level transferring on-screen shall be topic to regulatory approval.”