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Your guide to digital exams

In this digital world we all use technology to work, live, learn and play. We’re taking the first steps towards digital exams.

On this page:

Why we’re starting to move to digital exams

Students want exams to go digital. Let’s make it click.

Students use technology every day. They’re more familiar with digital formats than a pen and paper.

Digital exams have amazing potential. They can:

be more inclusive and accessible
help students develop digital skills that will prepare them for the future
allow for new ways to design questions
transform how we see and report on performance
help us build a more sustainable exam system.

Using technology to take exams is the future and it's already happening all over the world. That's why we’re taking small, considered steps forward with digital exams, with more information coming later this year.

How digital exams will work

Our digital exams will be traditional exam papers just on a screen. All the familiar features of an exam will be there.

Students will be able to:

bookmark pages
return to questions with ease
enter special characters or accented letters via specially developed toolbars.

We’ve spent two years conducting research, pilots and trials in schools to make sure that they’re safe, secure and fair.

Students will access the exam questions and nothing else.

They won’t be able to use:

the internet
spell check
auto correct.

Other than the introduction of a screen, not much else is changing. Teachers, examiners and invigilators will play the same important roles, marking remains the same and security is still key.

Our digital exam platform

We’re committed to finding more engaging ways of assessing what a learner knows and can do. That’s why we’re working with the market leader in digital assessment to make sure that we get digital exams right.

Our demo includes example question types for a range of subjects. This isn’t the finished platform, or an indication of which subjects might go digital next. This is your chance to have a look at the technology and see how we’re preparing for all types of assessment.

Try our demo

See how our digital exams are coming to life. It’s currently best viewed on a laptop or desktop device while further readiness testing is ongoing with iPad, mobile and tablet.

Start a digital exam demo >