It’s Time for Major Exam Reform

A complete overhaul of the UK’s examination system is needed urgently, argues Samantha Price, headmistress at Benenden School.

Clearly, the age of handwritten exams will soon come to an end – but we owe it to future generations to be far bolder than simply filling exam halls with laptops. This should be the moment that, as a country, we grasp the nettle and instigate major changes to our anachronistic means of testing our teenagers.

The first change we must introduce is to move university applications until after A-level results are issued. Most people accept that the current practice of basing offers on predicted (in reality, aspirational) grades is rather arbitrary and unfair for the pupils and teachers involved. Pupils’ time would be better spent focusing on their A-levels rather than negotiating predicted grades and writing applications. With a post-A-level application system the start of the university year could move to January, allowing constructive time in the autumn for teenagers to upskill or complete work experience.