Policy reports and briefings
We share our expertise in assessment and qualifications policy by engaging with teachers, students, parents, politicians, policymakers and thought leaders. One of the ways we do this is by publishing reports and briefings.
Making it Click: The case for digital examinations in England
Digital and on-screen technologies have tremendous potential to improve our assessment practices, to the benefit of learners, schools, and the education system. This is why AQA are beginning to make the first steps towards a digital exam system, to ensure we are assessing the skills and knowledge of the next generations in the most appropriate way. This report sets out the case for change for moving to digital exams and announces our proposed timescales for doing so – with the first mocks taking place in 2025 and exams themselves in 2026.
Towards new assessments for numeracy, literacy and digital fluency
Numeracy, literacy and digital fluency are fundamental skills that all individuals need to develop. But there is a problem: large numbers of young people are leaving formal education without a firm grounding in these core skills, with poor outcomes in work and life. This report examines the context of numeracy, literacy and digital fluency in England, and announces AQA's plans to explore a new, digital, on-demand assessment, less focused on sorting by grade and more focused on passing a universal standard of proficiency.
On-Screen Assessment: What does the public think?
This report, commissioned by AQA, explores public attitudes towards on-screen assessment.
The Power of Deep Knowledge
An AQA Policy Briefing on Level 2 Project qualifications. This champions more students taking the Level 2 Higher Project Qualification (HPQ) – both for deepening their knowledge of something about which they’re passionate, and for the independent working, research, project management and communication skills. It also explores HPQs’ potential as a ‘missing bridge’: between academic and vocational routes, between knowledge and skills, and between interdisciplinary and core subject study.
GCSE Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) briefing
The briefing explores why – while there's some merit in a frequency-based approach to vocabulary lists, – the approach proposed by the DfE’s 2021 MFL consultation will not fulfil its objectives for students to be able to communicate about a wide variety of topics.
Post-qualification admissions
AQA is committed to ensuring everyone who sits our qualifications can achieve their potential. To that end, we're pleased to join the calls for a shift to post-qualification admissions – and are engaging with politicians, civil servants and education thought leaders on how best to achieve this.
From the archive
The Future of Assessment: 2025 and Beyond
This report considers the big questions and issues that will shape how assessment evolves over the next decade and beyond. The project is a collaboration between UK and international experts including teachers, academics, employers and policymakers.
Getting the right result
This report was produced to provide an overview of the assessment process, and to illustrate how research evidence informs question paper and mark scheme design, marking, awarding and innovation in assessment.