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Plans for digital exams should be treated with “extreme care”, says the UK’s chief exam regulator.
Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at Ofqual, suggested some state schools have “weak” wifi systems, connectivity and security due to a lack of investment in the Estate.
There is a fear that all schools cannot do the assessment fairly.
The Ofqual chief says there are “endless cautionary tales” from countries moving forward with the digitization of national exams.
His comments come after the three main exam boards in England have laid out proposals to introduce on-screen assessments, which are subject to regulatory approval by Ofqual.
Sir Ian told the PA news agency: “Until we get to the point where we can be sure that all schools can offer a digital approach to assessment that will be fair to everyone, regardless of the type of teaching they have, or the type of school, or the type of facilities they have access to , then we must be very careful when rolling out large-scale digitization.
“Of course, I didn’t say never. There may be a day when there will be more digitization in exams and assessments than today, but we need to move forward at a pace that guarantees that it is fair for everyone and that it can be done for everyone.
In January, Pearson, which runs the Edexcel exam board, announced plans to give students the option to sit English GCSE exams from the summer of 2025.
In December last year, exam board OCR said it would offer digitally graded GCSEs in computer science to students starting the course in 2025.
Last year, the AQA exam board prepared a plan to launch exams on the screen and hopes that students will be able to take digital exams in at least one major subject by 2030.
AQA said the Italian and Polish GCSE reading and listening components would be the first to move to digital exams in 2026 under the proposal.
But now the exam board has confirmed it will not go ahead with the original schedule because the plan has yet to get regulatory approval.
When asked about the move to online exams, Mr Ian told PA: “We have a school house that we may not have invested in over the years.
“We have schools with weak connectivity, weak wifi systems, weak system security, weak system resilience.
“Until we can be sure that everyone can take digital exams fairly, and submit without interruption, we need to be careful.”
He added: “If you look around the world, there are endless cautionary tales from countries that have tried to be the first on the block and implement digitization in national exams and qualifications.
“And when the system fails, at the national or school level, the losers are the students who take the exams, and it’s always the most vulnerable students who take the exams who benefit the least.
“So we need to be sure it’s going to work effectively and fairly for everyone before we move forward at scale.”
James Bowen, assistant general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “There is a sense of inevitability about the greater use of technology in exams and there are also some benefits.
“However, it is important that we proceed with caution and consider all the challenges before diving in.
“For example, we must ensure that all schools have the capacity and tools to access the exam and that no student is at a disadvantage due to the new approach.
“Evolution rather than revolution feels like the right approach to take here.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, secretary general of the Association of School and School Leaders (ASCL), said: “There is huge potential to move to online assessment in the future.
“It means we don’t need to carry millions of exam papers and scripts around the country under Fort Knox-style security arrangements.
“This will reduce the reliance on handwriting in a world where many use keyboards, and will make marking easier as examiners will not have to translate handwritten scripts.
“However, Mr Ian is right to point out the potential pitfalls as we need to ensure that all schools and colleges have equal access to the tools and systems needed for digital assessment to ensure that exams are fair.
“The problem is that the previous government just didn’t invest enough in educational technology and it continued to grow in a small way.
“What we need now is a national strategy that unlocks the transformative potential of this technology, while guarding against unintended consequences.”
An AQA spokesman said: “We remain committed to digital exams through evolution, not revolution. We have worked and will continue to work with schools, colleges and regulators.
“In time, digital exams will allow young people to use their digital skills and will reflect the world in which they are growing.
“We explained that our plan needs regulatory approval. Because our plan is still with the regulator, we will not proceed in line with the schedule that was set last year. However, we are reviewing the timeline, making sure that we are ready to move forward after receiving regulatory approval.
