Over 300 years since the first written exam was used in the English education system, this traditional form of assessment continues to divide opinion. To their supporters, written exams provide a rigorous test of students’ knowledge and understanding that acts as a source of motivation as well as a sound basis for progression onto university or employment. Indeed, Prime Ministers, Education Secretaries, Schools Ministers and regulators have publicly stated that written exams are the ‘best and fairest’ way to measure pupils’ attainment. Meanwhile, critics argue that written exams are narrow assessments that focus too much on memorisation and fail to provide students with the wide range of skills that they need for later life and work.
With a General Election looming, coupled with the collapse of the exam system in 2020 and 2021 due to the outbreak of COVID-19, debates over the future of exams have become increasingly vocal. As a result, this report set out to understand if the current dominance of written exams in our assessment landscape is justified and whether the following alternatives to exams could and should play a greater role in our high-stakes assessment system towards the end of secondary education – most notably at age 18.
A common criticism of written exams is that they focus too heavily on recalling knowledge, whereas other methods of assessment can emphasise other competencies. For example, the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) – a voluntarily and independently-produced essay or project completed alongside A-levels – encourages students to investigate a topic of their choice, with the aim of developing their research, extended writing and presentation skills. Meanwhile oral assessments (such as the speaking components of language exams) give students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in a more practical way while also seeking to improve their verbal communication skills.
