Is this the end of exams?

Written By Katie Jackson

The 21st August 2020 was a devastating day in the world of education. Sir Ken Robinson, a visionary and educationist, passed away from cancer. He was famously known for his influential ideas and for challenging the principles of our current education. He talked and you just wanted to listen. In fact, I think his Do Schools Kill Creativity speech is still the most watched Ted Talk in history. I think all trainee teachers are encouraged to watch it. In fact, I think everyone should be encouraged to watch it. It’s enlightening and very informative, yet delivered with an air of humour easing the gravitas. It makes you stop and think about the way we teach children today. And all in under 20 minutes. 

In his How to escape Death Valley Ted Talk, Sir Ken Robinson questioned the need for the current exam culture. He thought the relentless ‘testing for the test’ was contributing to the demise of creativity. And I can vouch for that. Whilst working in a school a while back, the boys were under immense pressure for their 7+ exams. It wasn’t just the boys, it was teachers and parents too. There was a lot of content to get through and little time for anything else. September through to January consisted of times tables, spelling tests and comprehension practice. It was practice paper, after practice paper. It was the epitome of teaching for the test. The problem wasn’t that it was just fast paced and stressful, but that it was teacher led, old fashioned, rote learning. Most importantly it was the antithesis of creativity. But it was what happened. What had had to happen. Nobody’s fault, just the system. 

There’s more. He notes that the speed at which technology has revolutionised our world means we need to ensure that education catches up. That there’s a stark difference between information and knowledge. Information received at the click of a finger isn’t teaching or learning. It’s what we do with the information that counts. The processing, the problem solving and the communication skills that children really need. Structural change will rebalance subjects and allow for the arts to play just as an important role as maths and literacy. This isn’t about hierarchy of subjects any more. It is about developing a holistic approach to teaching and learning. It’s the experiences children have that will shape them and help to develop key skills needed as we head into the 4th Industrial (Digital) Revolution. Skills that more accurately reflect the working environment. Skills needed to face the uncertainties that we are certain lie ahead. For jobs that don’t exist just yet, to have better understanding of how the internet actually works, so we will be able to work alongside AI and Robots, and to be able to solve ongoing, ever changing global issues. 

His speech certainly caused a stir back in 2006. But is he right? Is it really the end of exams as we know it? Nobody can deny that we need some sort of assessment process. It’s true that traditional exams don’t often showcase different learner’s skill sets, but there won’t be one size fits all type of assessment. I guess the harsh truth is that some learners will always struggle to show their true potential at some point in their lives. That's the beauty and trouble with human uniqueness. At the moment it feels like exams can only get you so far and that the real secret to success are the life skills that have been developed in different educational settings. So this raises the question of how we should assess children’s progress? Recently we have learned that algorithms aren’t quite accurate enough. So should teachers be the ones that administer pupils’ grades? There are all sorts of potential challenges with this. Firstly, a teacher’s judgment is arbitrary. What happens if your child is someone that performs better in exams under pressure? What happens if your child is shy, introverted or simply quiet at school? We know too well that some teachers won’t have formed a positive relationship with some children, so is this fair? I would like to think that teachers would be able to put aside any prejudices when they are administering grades, but sadly not all teachers will be able to do this. As a society we might not be quite ready to get rid of the exam culture completely but I think it’s time to explore our options. Could it be that it’s more about examining and assessing pupils’ capabilities in a different way? We can find assessments that encourage children to practise interpersonal skills such as oral communication skills, critical thinking skills and collaboration. I believe that we should be trying to replicate more of a professional setting. Ultimately nurturing these skills will be much more useful for future jobs and a true reflection of what it means to be a professional in society. After all isn’t that what schools are for?

The education system is changing, schools are listening. Ofsted have changed their inspections for the better, focusing less on data and paperwork, and more on the curriculum and how it is implemented, with more time in between inspections (if all goes well of course). Ultimately we hope that with this shift, it will allow more time to be spent developing key skills and meaningful experiences. There are trade unions, policymakers and academics pushing back. Campaigners out there are fighting for an exam free culture. There are advocacy groups that are striving for an alternative assessment approach. Some schools are incorporating a more creative curriculum that’s enquiry based, some are talking about implementing ‘blended’ learning through projects and some even mixing cohorts. All of which children can put knowledge into practice whilst fostering creativity. Without the constraints of exams, teachers have more freedom to experiment with deep, meaningful learning. So the wheels are in motion, however, there is only so much you can do without a proper system change. 

I was delighted when I read about two headmasters of UK secondary schools using this pandemic to scrap GCSEs. They are trialling a new way of measuring progress and achievement through a ‘digital passport’. An online portfolio filled in by teachers, focusing on social and communication skills, creativity, and teamwork. Of course, there’ll be the normal teething issues as with anything new, along with sceptics and those who believe this system is flawed. Going against the grain isn’t straight forward or risk free. How will you reassure parents that your child is making progress without a standardised grading system? How will we protect children against the inconsistencies of the quality of education? Potentially further adding to socio-economic poverty. Dare we even mention the chaos employers and graduate schemes might encounter during future applications? How can they fairly compare alternative assessments and GCSEs? However, as we are the only country left in Europe with national exams at 16, then it’s not really anything new. If the rest of Europe managed, I think we might just be OK. 

These UK frontrunners will hopefully lead the way to a new education culture. Let’s hope these schools will highlight that traditional exams have served their purpose and that there’s no need to spend over 30 hours in sports halls doing exams that suit certain types of learners. I hope that we can find a different way to measure achievement. One that harbours all the positives that exam preparation gives us - the focus, the work ethic, the time management, the motivation, the satisfaction, the relief, and of course, the disappointment. It’s true, a little bit of stress and some pressures are good for us. Finding the balance is going to be the tough part. I think a lot of these elements are important in the education process that children and young adults need to experience. These journeys often are the making of us, teaching us about failure and therefore, resilience. However, when we look at today’s mental health concerns and all the pressures on our younger generation, I think it’s time to stop and think about what exams actually are for? Are they still the most beneficial way of assessing pupils? We know exams results don’t always equal future success and happiness. We know that so often the grades don’t reflect the learner and their capabilities. So perhaps we need to amend this form of assessment to better reflect our future education system and professional environment? Besides, I don’t know many jobs where you have to perform under exam conditions with invigilators watching your every move. Well, perhaps this environment is the making of surgeons? That’s the closest profession I can think of where they’d be grateful for spending 30 hours in such pressurised circumstances.  

So when we look back, I wonder if 2020 might be remembered as the start of the education revolution, and not just for remote learning? A time when we realised we could live without exams as we know them. A time where we had to focus on nurturing skills that really matter. A time when creativity blossomed. I wonder if the children will be thought of as the ‘Lucky Generation,’ rather than the ‘Lost Generation’? And even if it was by default, I don’t think it matters. What’s more, I am not sure if Sir Ken Robinson would mind too much either, as long as it happens. Perhaps now is the time to let his Learning Revolution begin? 

To listen to all his TedTalk click the links below:

Sir Ken Robinson urged people if they were interested to explore these topics in more depth as his talks don’t do the complexities of the theories justice, so here are the titles of some of his books:

Further Reading

  • ‘Out Of Our Minds: Learning To be creative’

  • ‘Creative Schools’

  • ‘You, Your Child and School: Navigate Your Way To The Best Education’

Katie Jackson

A child-centred holistic approach to education offering different perspectives. Passionate about sharing information, insights and useful tips helping bridge the gap between schools and families.

Previous

The etiquette of Parents’ Evening
Next

Technophile vs. technophobe