A focus on the greater use of technology in assessment in the future features heavily in Ofqual’s latest Corporate Plan.

Looking beyond the crucial and immediate priority of the return to exams in 2022, Ofqual’s plans for the next three years include consideration of new approaches to assessment. According to Ofqual’s Chair, Ian Bauckham, the pandemic has catalysed questions about not if, but when, and how, greater use of technology and onscreen assessment should be adopted.  Ofqual believes technology has the potential to improve quality and fairness for learners and to strengthen the resilience of how qualifications and assessments are delivered.

Ofqual’s plans include: 

• Engaging with Awarding Organisations to support the use of innovative practice and technology 
• Exploring the feasibility of the broader use of objective test questions in high stakes assessment to improve reliability and resilience of assessment 
• Exploring the potential role of adaptive testing, including specifically as a potential replacement for tiering in certain GCSEs.