English GCSEs are going onscreen

• Working on a digital device is a normal way of working for many students, and it’s the way they expect to operate in their future working lives. Many students already word-process their English exams as part of their access arrangements.  
• The onscreen format has many benefits which are especially valuable both for SEND students and the whole cohort: use the split screen to look at the reading text and the questions at the same time (no page flipping); use sticky notes to jot down ideas; change font size/colour to a look that is best for you; or highlight parts of the text that you want to draw on whilst planning your response.
• Students tell us they want to sit exams onscreen and those that have tried it say it helps them show what they can do. Students say that ‘typed work’ presents their ‘best side’, and allows them to edit more easily. 

Watch a video showing what an onscreen assessment looks like and the tools that the platform offers (03:42).

Try the onscreen GCSE English exams in our sandbox (registration required).

For more than a decade, we’ve gained extensive experience in offering onscreen assessment, forexample with our L1/2 Functional Skills qualifications. From June 2022 we offered part of our GCSE in Computer Science onscreen, and we’ve been offering English mocks and final exams onscreen for English International GCSEs for several years. In summer 2024, students will be able to sit International GCSEs in seven subjects, including English Language and Literature onscreen. 

Find out more about all the qualifications Pearson offers onscreen. 

Access answers to practical questions on how onscreen assessment works.