AQA Announce Laptop-Based Exams Are Coming: Why It's a Positive Change

Since the turn of the century, technology has revolutionized every aspect of our lives, including education. The traditional classroom is no longer the sole hub for learning, and as we move forward, one of the most significant transformations in education is the shift from paper-based exams to online exams on laptops.

The recent decision reported by UK exam board AQA, to introduce laptop-based exams for Italian and Polish GCSE courses is a testament to this shift, signalling a broader trend in education. Some of the benefits outlined by AQA include:

• Young people can utilize their digital skills
• It is better for the environment
• It's more reflective of the digital world people are growing up and working
• It can support students with special educational needs
• Students don't need to worry about handwriting bias

Understandably, this raises concerns about maintaining the integrity of exams, with aspects such as cheating or distractions becoming a problem. AQA offer the explanation that "students' devices will be offline in the exam hall; they will not be able to search for information on the internet, nor will they be able to access artificial intelligence tools."

However this approach has limitations:

• An offline device still gives students access to the laptop's desktop, where forbidden material can be hidden within other tools or applications. The ability to play around or tamper with a laptop is still a concern in this scenario.
• Offline devices mean that educators and students are missing out on the opportunity to access engagingand diverse online educational platforms for testing, which could enrich the exam-taking experience.

There is a straightforward solution for this, which gives schools the richness of a digital experience with the control of a paper-based experience.

Xyberis have created software which means schools can completely lock down a device, meaning students ONLY have access to websites or apps that have been defined by the school. Students cannot access the address bar to input other websites, they can't add tabs, press escapes, or be sneaky with any keyboard shortcuts, because they simply won't work. There is also no access to the system control panel.

To reiterate, the software means there is no way for students to move away from the pre-selected website or application such as Microsoft Word.

There are a number of products available, depending on whether you want to provide students with a website, application or both. Two of the products, Secure Web Solo and Secure App Portal have free versions with perpetual lifetime licenses but limited functionality, and paid versions which have more advanced functionality and start at £21 per device. This is simple software to install, but it will need a member of the IT team to handle it.

If you would like to try the free Xyberis software, please explore the Free Downloads page, and if you have any questions feel free to reach out to us!