It’s Time for Major Exam Reform

A complete overhaul of the UK’s examination system is needed urgently, argues Samantha Price, headmistress at Benenden School.

Clearly, the age of handwritten exams will soon come to an end – but we owe it to future generations to be far bolder than simply filling exam halls with laptops. This should be the moment that, as a country, we grasp the nettle and instigate major changes to our anachronistic means of testing our teenagers.

The first change we must introduce is to move university applications until after A-level results are issued. Most people accept that the current practice of basing offers on predicted (in reality, aspirational) grades is rather arbitrary and unfair for the pupils and teachers involved. Pupils’ time would be better spent focusing on their A-levels rather than negotiating predicted grades and writing applications. With a post-A-level application system the start of the university year could move to January, allowing constructive time in the autumn for teenagers to upskill or complete work experience.

Secondly, we need to overhaul the exam system itself. If we, as educators, fundamentally believe that young people learn best through practical experience and deep thinking and learning, how can we justify the current system of all-or-nothing exams at the end of a two-year programme of study?

Instead, it would be a fairer and more relevant system for the pupils if we introduced regular online assessments, which are adapted to a pupil’s individual pace of learning and provide greater opportunity for practical evaluation. The assessments would require pupils to conduct research, much like we see in the Extended Project Qualification, and would include creative projects requiring problem-solving and innovation.

Some may fear that evolving to this form of assessment will see educational outcomes fall. But with a strong level of imagination, expertise and desire to reform the education young people receive in this country to prepare them for the workplace of tomorrow, I am certain this can be overcome.

More broadly, at the same time we need to reconsider what we are testing students on: the ever-developing technological landscape presents a genuine opportunity for once-in-a-lifetime change.

In an information-rich age where knowledge acquisition is easily accessible online, there is very little merit in testing pupils’ ability to memorise details. What employers are increasingly looking for among employees is creativity (after all, technology can’t replace that) along with skills such as analytical thinking, problem-solving and innovation.

The World Economic Forum’s ‘Future of Jobs’ report identified these skills as among those needed for the 2025 workplace, along with others including technology use, leadership and resilience. Teaching young people these skills is precisely what schools should be focusing on to prepare them for the modern workplace.

Such reforms would require enormous political will and cross-party consensus so the government – whichever party – can commit to the long-term transformation of our exam system. For the benefit of future generations, and to ensure the UK continues to be a global leader, the time to start this work is now.