Brits expect fireworks on 5th November. But few from the digital exam and assessment sector expected pyrotechnics and revelations from the UK government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, published today . Education journalist Warwick Mansell claims the review team is ‘ experienced and serious ’. I’m curious on their approach to the UK’s decades-long track record of digital exams and assessment. The sector must reflect: what problems are we solving? Today’s interview with

20 years ago on November 1 2005, the UK Citizenship Test was launched . An online one-hour high-stakes exam, delivered across 90 independent test centres. Life in the UK (LitUK) is one of many global tests that facilitates the citizenship and naturalisation processes. You read that correctly – the UK government with the digital exam sector have been delivering an online exam for 20 years. Not on paper. Or as a locally downloaded file to a server - a method perfected in the mi

The biggest UK assessment sector news story in 20 years. City & Guilds, synonymous with ‘the trades’ and vocational education,   has been sold . Just like Xerox, Hoover, and Sellotape – Guilds is a rare genericised brand that the general public instantly recognise.   Its acquirer is   PeopleCert . A privately owned company led by its founder and owner Byron Nicolaides. The sale proceeds will go to founding a separate charitable wing. The exact playbook used by   Pearson on ac

I listened to Rita Bateson this week at RM’s Assessment Summit in London, and was struck that for the assessment sector, energy usage...

The exam sector is haunted by fears of fulfilling special accommodations, grappling with AI and evolving social norms. Read how the TPAC conference revealed the sector's concerns, but gave hope for the future.

Where’s our candidate data going? Who can access it? Does someone have a kill switch? USA’s ‘ America First ’ policy is causing panic and...

It took 29 nations, over 300 delegates, and a multitude of interests to deliver the latest successful e-Assessment Association (eAA)...

Is our love for a less-than-transparent world blighting trust in exams and assessment? Read how digital exams and e-assessment are being held back by opacity, and our willingness to look the other way.

Using a basket of assessment instruments as part of a Multi-Modal Assessment can deal with both the benefits and hazards of artificial intelligence.

Learners, families, and stakeholders are rejecting England’s school assessment system. A recent letter to a UK newspaper noted the...

Here are 15 myths of digital school exams dispelled.

Is Ofqual worth 2M? Could an expanded remit and higher quality threshold make it better value?

The key digital exam stories from the first half of 2025.

What happens when a sector leader 'Does a Ratner' and degrades his own company's qualifications?

This is the story of one big volume UK digital test that re-shaped test design and delivery for maximum impact.

How gatekeepers need to tune in to the reality of how the assessment system doesn't work for learners.

I visited the 2025 Next Generation Assessment Conference , only 10 months since the 2024 edition, I saw progress in digital school exams...

Removal of English and Maths from England's apprenticeships is problematic, especially for post-apprenticeship job seekers.

A curious year for the assessment sector. $25M fines for exam cheating. UK spluttering on plans for digitising school exams. A regulator...

What is the UK exam sector worth?

I read yesterday’s review report on curriculum and assessment, chaired by former Secretary of State for Education Charles Clarke,...

The how and why of school digital exam delivery.

Why do angry educators try to shut down the school digital exam debate? Read how mis-trust, inarticulacy, and passivity prevents advocacy.

Moving to digital exams for schools needs macro messages, not transactional retail offers.