One of England’s main education union leaders has warned against “an excess of caution” preventing the rollout of digital exams.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, was speaking after AQA chief executive Colin Hughes revealed the exam board’s latest timeframe for introducing digital exams to Tes.

Mr Hughes said digital exams may not be ready until 2028, and not for a major subject until at least 2035 - five years later than originally planned.

In response, Mr Di’lasio told Tes that some caution was understandable given that it is “a significant undertaking” to implement digital exams - but he said that “the potential benefits are massive”.

He added: “While we understand the need to proceed carefully on digital exams, we would urge against an excess of caution which means that we don’t actually do anything.”

Setting out the benefits, he highlighted that young people are “now more accustomed to using keyboards in the course of their lives than handwriting, and scripts would be easier for markers to read and could be delivered to them immediately”.

There would no longer be any need to securely transport and store “vast amounts of paper”, Mr Di’lasio said.

“And over time it would allow for exams to be made adaptive,” he added.

Digital exams: delays for exam boards

As well as AQA, the OCR and Pearson Edexcel boards have also delayed their plans for digital exams.

The delays have previously been blamed on disruption caused by last year’s general election, needing more time to engage with the sector and Ofqual, and the ongoing review of curriculum and assessment. All on-screen exams require approval by the regulator.

OCR had intended to launch its on-screen assessment for GCSE computer science in 2025.

Jill Duffy, chief executive of OCR, previously said that “digital exams are far closer to real industry and further study experiences”.

But despite saying that it had made “good progress” on the computer science qualification, OCR has been forced to postpone its plan.

No updated timeline has yet been announced for the rollout, although an OCR spokesperson said that it will be updating schools “soon with more details on our progress”.

Pearson said in December that “if there is enough demand then most GCSEs and A levels could” be offered digitally by 2030.

One of the two papers in the exam board’s GCSE computer science course has been assessed on-screen since 2022, and it had planned for students to be given the choice of a digital assessment for GCSE English language and English literature this summer.

This plan has since been postponed until at least 2026, with rollout expected “within the next few years”, although the exam board still plans for English to be its first core subject available for digital assessment.

Pearson has also announced a plan to offer digital GCSEs in history and business studies from 2027.

IT inequalities ‘must be addressed’

Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at the NAHT school leaders’ union, pointed to some of the barriers to extending digital exams for GCSEs and A levels.

She warned that adopting digital exams without addressing inequalities in IT provision, connectivity and staff expertise in schools “could lead to disadvantage for some students”.

However, there could be benefits for inclusivity if accessibility was put at the heart of any digital exam reforms recommended by the curriculum and assessment review, she said.

The NEU teaching union said that the delayed rollout of digital exams was “inevitable” given the parlous state of school finances.

Daniel Kebede, the union’s general secretary, said it was “in favour of modernising the assessment system… [but] modernisation means more than simply putting an exam paper on a computer screen”.

“We should assess students by using a variety of methods, not just exams - be they digital or otherwise,” he added.

A Pearson spokesperson said: “Students are calling for choice in how they’re assessed - and we’re listening to that. The use of technology in exams provides clear accessibility benefits for students with a range of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as well as enhancing the assessment experience for all students.”

An Ofqual spokesperson said: “Ofqual is open to innovations that deliver qualifications which reliably reflect what students know, understand and can do and which are fair and accessible for students.

“Any proposals for innovations would need to be carefully assessed by Ofqual to ensure that qualification standards are maintained and that assessments are fair for students. We consider all proposals for innovation from this perspective.”

For the latest education news and analysis delivered every weekday morning, sign up for the Tes Daily newsletter