information. dissemination.
Keeping the Key Stage
Can exam boards future‑proof assessment?
Key Stage 4 education in the UK enters 2026 at a moment of tension and transition. Schools are still recovering from years of curriculum churn, funding pressures, and widening attainment gaps - yet the biggest shift is happening not in classrooms, but in the exam system itself. GCSEs remain the backbone of KS4 assessment, but the question facing policymakers, teachers, and exam boards is increasingly urgent: how do you future‑proof a qualification designed for a pre‑digital era?
The major exam boards - AQA, Pearson Edexcel, and OCR - have all signalled their intention to move towards digital examinations. But progress has been uneven, and in some cases, delayed. Plans for on‑screen GCSEs in 2025 and 2026 have slipped, largely due to political disruption and the government’s ongoing curriculum and assessment review. OCR’s pioneering digitally assessed Computer Science GCSE, originally intended for first teaching in 2025, has been pushed back. Edexcel’s ambition to offer on‑screen English Language and Literature exams in 2025 is now “unlikely” to happen, with the board instead proposing that English becomes the first core subject to go digital “within the next few years”. AQA, too, has delayed its rollout of digital reading and listening exams in Polish and Italian until at least 2027.
Yet despite the delays, the direction of travel is unmistakable. AQA has been explicit about why digital exams matter. Students already live and learn in a digital world, and exam formats need to reflect that reality. Digital exams, AQA argues, can be more inclusive, more accessible, and more reflective of the skills young people actually use. They also open the door to new question types, richer performance data, and a more sustainable assessment system. Their platform - already piloted in schools - allows students to bookmark questions, navigate easily, and enter special characters, while maintaining strict security and removing tools like spellcheck or internet access to preserve exam integrity.
Edexcel, meanwhile, is exploring adaptive digital assessments, particularly in maths, where early trials have already generated large datasets that help identify common misconceptions and knowledge gaps. Digital tests taken by over 80,000 students have provided insight into areas where pupils struggle most - from dividing fractions to using apostrophes - offering a glimpse of how data‑driven assessment could reshape teaching and intervention at KS4.
But future‑proofing GCSEs is not just about screens. It is also about relevance. New GCSE specifications for 2026, such as AQA’s updated MFL curriculum, reflect a broader shift towards cultural literacy, communication skills, and real‑world application. Exam boards are under pressure to ensure that content keeps pace with a changing world - from AI literacy to climate education - without overwhelming teachers or destabilising the system.
The challenge for 2026 is therefore twofold. First, exam boards must continue the slow, careful transition to digital assessment, ensuring fairness, accessibility, and reliability. Second, they must rethink what GCSEs are for in a society where knowledge is abundant, skills are shifting, and digital fluency is essential.
Future‑proofing Key Stage 4 will require more than updated specifications or on‑screen papers. It will require a reimagining of assessment itself - one that balances rigour with relevance, tradition with innovation, and stability with the courage to evolve.
