What could digital exams mean for British pupils?

By the end of the decade, British pupils could be swapping pens for keyboards in GCSE and A Levels, marking the biggest change to exams in a generation.

Ofqual has launched a 12-week consultation on regulating on-screen assessments, showing that digital exams are no longer a distant idea.

Under the proposals, each exam board would be allowed to create up to two new on-screen GCSE, AS or A-level specifications, focusing on subjects with a smaller numbers of students.

Major subjects like English, maths, and combined sciences are off the table for now, but, drama, music, and many A-level subjects could soon be delivered digitally.

Opportunities and risks

Pressure to move exams online has been building for years. Teachers report pupils struggling with handwriting stamina, while research from University College London (UCL) suggests students perform better on keyboards.

Young people spend much of their lives on screens – except, oddly, when they take life-defining exams.

However, schools worry about devices, connectivity and cybersecurity – and what happens if technology fails mid-paper.

In one of the toughest environments imaginable, however, on-screen exams are already a reality.

James Tweed, chief executive of edtech company Coracle and a member of the government’s Digital Inclusion Action Committee, delivers secure, offline digital assessments in UK prisons.

Tweed says the school system is years behind the practical lessons already learned in these settings.

“There’s an inevitable shift towards computer-based exams. The key is doing it safely. We already run secure digital assessments in prisons – if it can work there, it can work anywhere,” he says.

Tweed warns that relying on the internet alone would be a mistake.

“If the connection drops, the exam collapses. Offline capability has to be baked in from day one,” he explains.

He also highlights the issue of digital inequality. “Digital poverty is real. If this move is going to help, not harm, disadvantaged students, the government needs a plan for devices and access. Otherwise we risk widening gaps, not closing them.”

Proponents argue that digital exams could be a game-changer for students with special educational needs and disabilities, neurodivergent learners, and anyone who struggles with handwriting.

Typing, adjustable font settings, screen readers, and other assistive technologies could become standard tools, rather than special permissions.

Yet the rollout has already been slowed by caution. AQA recently pushed back its plans to 2028 or beyond, and OCR and Pearson have delayed digital exams as well.

Unions warn that patchy IT provision and lack of staff training could create new inequalities, while ministers insist any shift must be phased and fair.

Some experts argue that caution should not become paralysis. Pepe Di’Iasio, head of the Association of School and College Leaders, warns against “an excess of caution” blocking progress.

If the proposals go ahead, the first on-screen GCSEs would be offered in smaller subjects, with separate qualifications from paper versions.

They would run on secure devices provided by exam centres, designed to work offline, and could arrive in classrooms around 2028 to 2030.

Pen and paper will remain central to the exam system, but digital assessment is coming.