An increasing number of teachers think that online exams would be fairer than traditional pen-and-paper assessments, Ofqual has revealed.
Last year, data showed that the proportion of teachers who thought traditional exams were fairer was almost double that of those favouring online exams.
However new survey results show this gap has almost closed.
The data also shows there are still widespread concerns about whether running an online exam system would be more manageable for schools.
In a survey commissioned by the exams regulator, almost a third (31 per cent) of teachers agreed that onscreen examinations in GCSE and A-level qualifications would be fairer for schools and colleges than existing examinations in 2022.
This was up from around a quarter (24 per cent) the previous year.
And fewer teachers disagreed that the online assessments would be a fairer option last year, decreasing to just over a third (34 per cent) in 2022, down from 41 per cent in 2021.
Last year, students completed the first summer exams series after two years of cancellations because of Covid-related disruption.
The survey, which collected the opinions of 796 heads and teachers and was published today as part of Ofqual’s annual report on the perceptions of qualifications, revealed that headteachers are less confident that online exams would be fairer than pen-and-paper ones.
The findings show less support for online exams among headteachers. Some 28 per cent of headteachers agreed that the online assessments would be the fairer option, down from 29 per cent in 2021.
And more headteachers disagreed that online exams would mean a fairer system last year (37 per cent) than they did in 2021 (33 per cent).
There are also still concerns around the manageability of online assessments for schools.
Just 28 per cent of teachers agreed that onscreen examinations in GCSE and A-level qualifications would be more manageable for schools and colleges than existing pen-and-paper examinations, while 51 per cent disagreed.
And a survey of 2,068 people including responses from teachers, headteachers and members of the general public found that trust in GCSEs in 2022 specifically was lower than for the qualification in general.
Exams returned last year for the first time since the onset of the pandemic but grading of this year’s results was designed to be at a midpoint between pre-pandemic results and those higher grades that were given through teacher-assessed grades in the two years when exams could not take place.
A series of modifications were also introduced to support pupils to take account of the disruption their education had faced as a result of the pandemic.
The survey showed that 51 per cent of respondents agreed that “GCSEs are a trusted qualification in relation to 2022, compared to 74 per cent when considering general perceptions”.
