Plans for digital exams needs to be handled with “excessive warning”, the top of England’s exams regulator has stated.
Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at Ofqual, advised quite a few state schools have “weak” wifi programs, connectivity and safety due to an absence of funding within the property.
There are fears that each one faculties gained’t be capable to run assessments pretty.
The Ofqual chief stated there have been “countless cautionary” tales of nations which have pushed forward with the digitisation of nationwide exams.
His feedback come after three of the main examination boards in England have laid out their proposals to introduce on-screen assessments, that are topic to regulatory approval by Ofqual.
Sir Ian informed the PA information company: “Till we’re on the level the place we will be assured that each one faculties are in a position to provide a digital strategy to evaluation which goes to be honest for everyone, whatever the type of instructing they’ve had, or the type of faculty they’re in, or the type of amenities they’ve accessible to them, then we’re going to should train excessive warning in rolling out large-scale digitisation.
“In fact, I’m not saying by no means. There might be a day when there’s far more digitisation in exams and evaluation than there’s now, however we might want to go at a tempo that provides us assurance that that is honest for everyone and can also be truly implementable for everyone.”
In January, Pearson, which runs examination board Edexcel, introduced plans to supply pupils a alternative to take a seat on-screen GCSE English exams from summer season 2025.
In December final yr, examination board OCR stated it will provide a digitally-assessed GCSE in laptop science for pupils beginning their course in 2025.
Final yr, examination board AQA set out plans to roll out on-screen exams and it hoped that college students would be capable to sit digital exams for at the least one main topic by 2030.
AQA stated the studying and listening parts of GCSE Italian and Polish can be the primary to maneuver to digital exams in 2026 underneath the proposals.
However now the examination board has confirmed it won’t be continuing with the unique timetable because the plans haven’t but acquired regulatory approval.
When requested in regards to the transfer in the direction of on-line exams, Sir Ian informed PA: “We’ve received a college property which will have been underinvested in over time.
“We’ve received faculties which have weak connectivity, weak wifi programs, weak system safety, weak system resilience.
“Till we will be sure that everyone can run digital exams pretty, and ship them with out disruption, we must transfer with nice warning.”
He added: “For those who look world wide there are countless cautionary tales of nations which have tried to be the primary off the block right here and implement digitisation in nationwide high-stakes exams and {qualifications}.
“And when programs fall over, both at a nationwide degree or a college degree, the individuals who lose out are the scholars taking these exams, and inevitably essentially the most fragile college students taking exams are the least advantaged.
“So we’ve received to be assured it should work successfully and pretty for everyone earlier than we transfer forward at scale.”
James Bowen, assistant common secretary at college leaders’ union NAHT, stated: “There’s a sense of inevitability in regards to the larger use of expertise in exams and there are more likely to be some advantages too.
“Nonetheless, it’s important that we tread very rigorously and suppose by all of the challenges earlier than diving in head-first.
“For instance, we would want to make sure that all faculties have the capability and instruments to entry the exams and that no pupil is put at an obstacle on account of a brand new strategy.
“Evolution quite than revolution feels the precise strategy to take right here.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, common secretary of the Affiliation of College and Faculty Leaders (ASCL), stated: “There’s huge potential in transferring to extra on-line evaluation sooner or later.
“It might imply we might now not must ferry tens of millions of examination papers and scripts across the nation underneath Fort Knox-style safety preparations.
“It might cut back the reliance on handwriting in a world which overwhelmingly makes use of keyboards, and it will make marking much more simple as a result of examiners wouldn’t should decipher handwritten scripts.
“Nonetheless, Sir Ian is correct to level out the potential pitfalls as we first must ensure that all faculties and schools have equal entry to gadgets and programs mandatory for digital evaluation so as to make sure that exams are honest.
“The issue is earlier governments merely didn’t make investments sufficiently in schooling expertise and left it to develop in a piecemeal trend.
“What we now want is a nationwide technique which unlocks the transformative potential of this expertise, whereas being alert to any unintended penalties.”
An AQA spokesman stated: “We stay dedicated to digital exams by evolution, not revolution. We have now labored and can proceed to work intently with faculties, schools and the regulator.
“In time, digital exams will enable younger folks to make use of their digital expertise and can higher mirror the world they’re rising up in.
“We made it clear that our plans have been topic to regulatory approval. Since our plans are nonetheless with the regulator we won’t be continuing in keeping with the timetable we set out final yr. As a substitute we’re reviewing timelines, ensuring that we’re able to press forward as soon as we obtain regulatory approval.”
