by An exam board is offering students the opportunity to be digitally assessed in their GCSE English exams from next year.
Pearson, which runs the Edexcel exam board, wants GCSE students to be able to take screen exams in the core subject by summer 2025, if they choose to do so.
Up to 125,000 UK students will have the option of taking Edexcel English and English Literature exams on screen for the first time.
English GCSEs on the exam board screen – which would be assessed in the summer of next year – are subject to regulatory approval from Ofqual.
Pearson Edexcel hopes to be able to offer an on-screen option for all GCSEs by 2030 to increase accessibility for students, as well as other benefits.
The exam board said more students are using word processing for their answers to GCSE exam questions, as part of access arrangements.
Sharon Hague, managing director for Pearson Schools, said: “This is a critical time for on-screen assessment in the UK. For the first time, in the summer of 2025, students will be able to take an exam in a core subject entirely on screen if they choose to do so.
“We have heard loud and clear from students and teachers that they want choice in how they take exams. That’s why we will offer both on-screen and paper-based exam options.”
Students taking Pearson Edexcel GCSEs in computer science are already assessed on screen and the exam board has started rolling out digital assessments for their international GCSEs.
This is the first time that the main GCSE English levels will be offered on screen.
Ms Hague added: “It’s a better on-screen experience for students who need accessibility adjustments. Students can zoom in to increase font size and select color filters on the screen during exams, which their schools or colleges would otherwise have to request before their exams.
“Every student on screen also has benefits. They can highlight and annotate information, cut and paste text and make easy changes to their answers. It’s what many students experience while working at home and in the classroom, and no doubt how they will work in their careers as well.”
Schools will still have the option of offering paper-based exams, as well as on-screen assessments, under the exam board’s plans.
It comes as some of the UK’s major exam boards have taken steps towards digital assessment.
Last month, exam board OCR announced that it would offer GCSE digital assessment in computer science to students starting their course in 2025.
Meanwhile, exam board AQA aims to roll out on-screen exams over a period of years and hopes to have students doing at least one major subject digitally by 2030.
The Italian and Polish GCSE reading and listening components would move to digital exams for the first time in 2026, according to AQA proposals.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “It is encouraging that exam boards are continuing to explore new forms of digital assessment.
“It is clear that an examination system that relies entirely on a pen and paper test is outdated and we know that many students and their teachers will welcome the opportunity to provide typed answers.
“As well as being more accessible to some students, digital exams should be simpler to mark, easier to transport and hopefully cheaper to take.”
He added: “The move towards online assessment is positive and overdue, but it does not come without challenges – including the continuing disadvantage gap between those who may have greater access to technology at home and thus become more familiar with its demands.
“It is vital that schools are clearly guided through this process and have the necessary resources to implement the digital infrastructure they need to deliver online exams in the future.”
Steve Rollett, deputy chief executive at the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), said, “Screen assessment appears to have the potential to support students, particularly those with special needs, who may struggle access to traditional paper exams.
“We hope this development will support children while maintaining the overall integrity of the exam system.”
An Ofqual spokesman said: “Ofqual is committed to supporting evidence-based innovation in how exams are delivered. Above all, it is vital that the exams are accessible and fair for all the students who take them.
“We will assess Pearson’s proposals in detail when they are submitted for review. Our priority will be to ensure that their approach is fair for all students, whether they do their GCSEs on screen or continue to do so on paper.”
A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “The Department and Ofqual are taking time to understand the opportunities and implications of digital assessment to inform any decisions about the future of on-screen assessments. .
“As the independent regulator of qualifications in England, Ofqual requires that any GCSE or A-level moving on screen is subject to regulatory approval.”
