Back in 2017 Tes Scotland interviewed Janet Brown, who at the time was chief executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). When asked if she could envisage handwritten exams still being used in 10 years, Dr Brown said: “I think that would be very unusual…I would be surprised if we still had handwritten exams.”
Now there are plans afoot in England that mean her prediction that pen-and-paper exams ought to be winding up in the next few years was in the right ballpark - south of the border at least. Last week it was revealed that Pearson, which runs exam board Edexcel, is aiming for GCSE English language and literature exams to be available digitally by 2025.
Meanwhile, another English exam board, AQA, is aiming to roll out on-screen exams over a period of years and it hopes that students will sit at least one major subject digitally by 2030.
The reading and listening components of GCSE Italian and Polish would be the first to move to digital exams in 2026, according to the AQA proposals.
Pilots for students with additional needs
But what of Scotland? We recently revealed that pilots are due to get under way this year in a bid to enable students with additional support needs to use their own devices in the 2024 exams.
Currently, it is possible for pupils to apply for special arrangements and use a device in their exams, but typically not the one they have grown up with. This means they have to practise ahead of time to get used to a different interface.
It is an unacceptable situation, Paul Nisbet, an expert in communication and assistive technology, has told us. This year he hopes the pilots lead to change.
But more radical plans, such as those gathering steam in England, are tough to take forward in Scotland just now because the system is in a state of flux.
The SQA is in the midst of being replaced and the Scottish education system is still waiting for the government’s response to the independent Hayward review of assessment and qualifications, published in June.
The review recommended reducing “the number of examinations in the senior phase” and using a broader range of assessment methods - projects, assignments, oral assessments, performances and practical work, for instance.
At National 5 level - the Scottish equivalent of GCSE - and below, the review said exams should be scrapped and qualifications internally assessed to reduce pressure on staff and pupils, and to “promote opportunities for greater depth in learning”.
So, while in England exam boards are preparing to apply modern technology to traditional exams, in Scotland the proposal on the table is that exams at the equivalent age and stage should be scrapped.
Range of innovative approaches
That does not mean there is no role for technology. The review was enthusiastic about the range of innovative approaches to assessment made possible by technological advances, including assessments that adapt to the responses of the learner or where assessment is undertaken through simulation.
Ultimately, it could be that in Scotland, digital tools play more of a role in assessing what pupils know and can do - but that might not be limited to typing up exam responses instead of writing them by hand.
However, making more and better use of technology to assess students takes planning and investment, and too many teachers continue to complain that their school broadband is slower than that of the local café. There is also inconsistent access to devices and staff would need to be supported.
Proposals but no plan
The key difference between Scotland and England just now is that, while exam boards south of the border are making plans and putting them into action, here we have proposals but no plan.
The Scottish government has been urged by education directors, headteachers and its own international advisers to stop dithering and start implementing changes that will bring significant benefits to Scottish education.
The use of technology to support assessment is just another area where - as a result of government indecision - Scotland is in danger of falling behind.
And it seems unlikely, in Scotland at least, that by 2027, handwritten exams will be a thing of the past.
Emma Seith is senior reporter at Tes Scotland. She tweets @Emma_Seith
