Thousands of students around the world will soon be able to bring the novels and poems they have been studying into the international equivalent of GCSE exams.

That’s because Cambridge International has announced the introduction of open-book exams for all its IGCSE literature in English papers for students sitting exams in 2028 - meaning those embarking on courses at the beginning of the 2026-27 academic year will benefit.

In 2024-25, 35,000 students worldwide, across 1,414 schools, sat the Cambridge IGCSE literature in English exams across the three series held by the body in November 2024, March 2025 and June 2025 - so clearly it will have a big impact across international schools.

It was already the case that students had the possibility of consulting drama texts in the exam but, in future, all papers will be open book, including poetry and prose.

What this means in practice is that candidates may take set texts into the exam room. The texts may have highlighting, underlining or brief handwritten notes, but sticky notes are not allowed and there should be no other separate pieces of paper in the set text.

Prioritising critical thinking

So what’s promoted the change? Speaking to Tes, Carolyn Tiller, director of qualifications and test development at Cambridge International, says the emphasis needs to be on “supporting learners developing critical analysis skills, as opposed to learning a number of quotes”.

Tiller says the need to memorise passages “could detract students’ attention from learning that evaluative skill piece, which is far more important for the future”. She adds: “We really want learners to absolutely have those critical thinking skills and to know they can make their own evaluation.”

This view is echoed by Daniel Jones, chief education officer at international school group, Globeducate, who welcomes the change, saying open-book literature exams avoid “an over-reliance on memorisation of quotes, and help students and teachers to focus more on critical thinking skills”.

“Students can still learn quotations, of course, should they wish, but open-book exams shift the focus away from memorisation,” he says.

Research insights

However, there is another school of thought that says open-book exams could lead to wasted exam time as students lean too heavily on referring to the text in front of them to try to choose the ideal quote or passage.

Cambridge International says its research - due to be published in full in November - did not reflect this.

It compared student performance in open- and closed-book exams and found that, ultimately, both have advantages and drawbacks, and neither is superior.

The research found small but insignificant differences in performance between students taking open- versus closed-book assessments, and no sign that candidates with access to the text wasted time or did not finish.

It also found that candidates in open-text exams used slightly more frequent, longer and closer references to the text, and the references selected were stronger.

Teacher views

However, Tiller says it was feedback from teachers surveyed by Cambridge that sealed the deal and triggered the move to open book.

“It was their support and feedback that really conclusively told us that this would be welcome. It was really positive in terms of their teaching and learning in the classroom.”

A UK-based teacher, involved in the consultation process carried out by Cambridge, commented that memorisation of quotes was not a profitable way to use revision time, and added: “Students are better served in the long term by learning strong analysis skills and developing essay-writing abilities.”

A teacher in India, meanwhile, said it was “a progressive step that prioritises understanding over rote memorisation”.

Tiller says teachers also talked about students feeling more confident and less stressed if they had the reassurance of being able to access the text. A teacher based in Pakistan said the decision would “reduce unnecessary stress and anxiety caused by [students] having to rely solely on their memory”.

The teacher added: “Many students who could write with flair fail to do so because they cannot memorise or recall textual references.”

Another teacher said the move would improve accessibility for students with special needs.

Tiller says: “It’s about driving and supporting engagement with the text, rather than saying ‘so what lines are you going to learn?’.”

Will the UK follow suit?

All this stands in contrast to the situation in England and Scotland, where exams at this level are closed book.

The exam regulator in England, Ofqual, told Tes that GCSE English examinations - language and literature - are conducted as closed-book exams.

English language GCSEs are based entirely on unseen text extracts, provided in exam papers, while whole texts are barred from English literature GCSEs.

Perhaps the Curriculum and Assessment review may propose a similar change.

Further changes

Meanwhile, the changes to Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English are part of a wider update to more than 25 Cambridge syllabuses (including 11 Cambridge IGCSEs in modern foreign languages) for exams in 2028.

Another change that Tiller believes could reduce learner stress is the introduction of multiple choice - as opposed to written answers - for IGCSE modern language reading exams.

She says this will take away “the burden on students of writing in a reading paper” so that the focus can really be “on those reading skills” - writing, she points out, is still assessed in other elements of the exam.

“It’s about accessibility and making sure the focus is in the right place,” she explains.

Meanwhile, Cambridge International AS- and A-level media studies and Cambridge IGCSE Spanish have been updated to include digital exam components for first teaching in 2026.

For Spanish, this will see a digital approach taken to the listening element of the 2028 exam - although a paper-based option will still be available.

By 2033, Cambridge says that 85 per cent of its high-stakes qualifications will have a digital option.

Full details of all the Cambridge IGCSE, O-level and International AS- and A-level syllabus updates can be found here.

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