Last week, Ofqual’s chief regulator expressed concerns about the rollout of digital exams in the UK, citing weak school Wi-Fi systems, security and connectivity.

The move from paper to digital exams has already begun in earnest, with Pearson announcing earlier this year that they will be digitising GCSE English exams by summer 2025.  The exam board OCR also announced that they will be offering a digitally assessed GCSE course in computer science next year.

While the digitisation of paper exams seems inevitable, the concerns raised by Ofqual’s chief regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, are valid.

For an assessment to successfully take place online, students must have a strong and stable internet connection.  According to Bauckham, this is something many schools simply do not have.  There are also unique security problems that come from taking an assessment online.  For example, if a schools Wi-Fi hasn’t been set-up securely, it becomes vulnerable to exploitation by hackers and anyone else who can access the network.  This could potentially lead to the assessment process being tampered with.

An unsecure Wi-Fi network also poses new and exciting opportunities for cheating that any student with enough will and determination is bound to make use of.  And even with a secure Wi-Fi connection, there are still risks that a candidate can cheat if the online assessment platform itself doesn’t have the right safeguards in place.  This is why at VICTVS, we host a yearly hackathon to test the integrity of our own remote invigilation software to make sure it’s completely secure.

While the concerns surrounding digital exams are legitimate, when done well they can have significant benefits.  Online assessments can increase security as they eliminate the need for examining bodies to physically transport highly confidential exam papers all over the country.  Digital exams can also provide better accessibility options to students who need them, such as large-print exam papers and the option to use video and audio features.

Another bonus is that they remove the need for students to handwrite answers, and for markers to decipher their handwriting.  Digitising exams could also reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impact of exam bodies by eliminating the need to produce millions of exam papers.

So, what steps should be taken to ensure digital exams can be rolled out fairly?

Schools across the country need to have access to a secure and fast internet connection, as well as devices that are up to the standards necessary to conduct assessments.  They will also need enough devices to cater to all their students and to make sure no student is disadvantaged by a lack of prior experience using laptops and other necessary devices.

Achieving these goals will not be easy and will require time, money and effort.  But it is crucial to address these challenges thoroughly to avoid compromising the integrity of the assessment process.

By resolving these issues, we can harness the benefits of digital exams while ensuring that our educational assessments remain fair and reliable.