Digital exams.... coming to a school near you!

UK exam boards are planning to go digital over the next five years. The humble exam paper is heading for the cloud! But what does this mean for students’ mental health?

On the bright side, this could be a quiet revolution. Digital exams can build in support for students with SEND as standard (no more trying to blend into a silent hall of scribbling pens). They could also be taken in a wider range of locations, cutting out the rush hour stress (helpful for parents too!) For “slow writers”, typing may finally level the playing field. And faster results? Less of that agonising refresh-refresh-refresh purgatory.

But let’s not pretend it’s all sleek screens and serenity…

Hours staring at a screen may swap hand cramp for eye strain and brain fog. And behind the scenes, schools face big bills, patchy Wi-Fi fears, and the small matter of training staff to troubleshoot when everything crashes at once.

Done well, digital exams could ease pressure and modernise assessment. Done badly, we may just replace the terror of the exam hall with the terror of “Error 404.”