Computerised testing likely to replace traditional UK exams [Guardian.co.uk]
- Published: 12 July 2009
For generations, hundreds of thousands of pupils have spent the end of the school year in gymnasiums scrawling answers to the sound of the ticking clock. And every summer they have endured a nerve-wracking two-month wait for their results.
Exams have been a rite of passage for millions, but within a decade they could be consigned to history, according to one of the most senior figures in the system.
Simon Lebus, chief executive of Cambridge Assessment, said that traditional examinations are likely to disappear within 10 to 15 years, to be replaced by computerised testing.
Instead of three-hour written exams, there will be continual e-assessment throughout pupils' courses. Exam boards are investing millions of pounds in developing the technology - and, Lebus claimed, it's not "science fiction".
He said: "The likelihood is that in the next 10 to 15 years it will change almost out of recognition in that by the end of that period of time you'll be able to do exams more or less on demand, on screen.
"You can make the learning more valid and the technology can enhance the way people engage in the subject. It's very expensive, complex stuff to do. But it is achievable. It's not a vision based on a sort of science-fiction type fantasy."
cf. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jul/12/written-exams-computerised-testing
