Geoff Chapman

How did the UK Citizenship Test pioneer 20 years of online digital exams? 20 years ago on November 1 2005, the UK Citizenship Test was launched. An online one-hour high-stakes exam, delivered across 90 independent test centres.

How did the UK Citizenship Test pioneer 20 years of online digital exams?
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How will the sale of City & Guilds impact the education sector? The biggest UK assessment sector news story in 20 years. City & Guilds, synonymous with ‘the trades’ and vocational education, has been sold.

What will happen as City & Guilds becomes a commercial company subsidiary? How appropriate was the 'easier and safer' sale option? Read how this deal is era-defining, but questions remain.
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Do exam owners declare their energy usage? I listened to Rita Bateson FRSA this week at the RM Assessment summit in London, and was struck that for the assessment sector, energy usage remains a critical issue, but still remains a niche topic. ...

Do exam owners declare their energy usage? Is the exam sector in denial about its energy usage? Read how AI and video assessment is causing a quantum leap in energy usage. And feel the irony that it's neither benchmarked nor measured!
www.linkedin.com/pulse/do-exa...

What are assessment professionals actually telling us? A review of the TPAC assessment conference organised by Peridot Partners, Eintech, and Kaplan Assessments.

The exam sector is haunted by fears of fulfilling special accommodations, grappling with AI and evolving social norms. Read how this week's TPAC conference revealed the sector's concerns, but gave hope for the future. www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-a... via @LinkedIn

My learned and very knowledgeable friend @geoffchapman.bsky.social taking part in the #TPAC conference discussing the overcoming the challenges of assessor and examiner recruitment to awarding organisations.

A scramble to update - what does Digital Sovereignty mean for digital exams and e-assessment? www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-d...

The e-Assessment Association Conference: an island of progress, innovation, and perseverance. But what next? How far has the eAssessment Association come in its journey to advocate digital exams and assessment? Read about its success and what it needs to do next.

The e-Assessment Association Conference: an island of progress, innovation, and perseverance. But what next? www.linkedin.com/pulse/e-asse... via @LinkedIn

Do digital exams and e-assessment provide transparency? People claim to want a transparent exam system. But do they really want it? Digital exams are transparent, but are people content with opacity?

Is our love for a less-than-transparent world blighting trust in exams and assessment?
Read how digital exams and e-assessment are being held back by opacity, and our willingness to look the other way. www.linkedin.com/pulse/do-dig... via @LinkedIn

Can Multi-Modal Assessment sweep away the AI froth? How can Multi-Modal Assessment strengthen education and manage the encroachment of AI into exams?

Can Multi-Modal Assessment sweep away the AI froth?

Read how a diverse basket of assessment instruments can increase objectivity, reduce risk, and maximise outcomes. linkedin.com/pulse/can-mu... via
@LinkedIn

Why does the school exam system not work for us any more? Has it Jumped The Shark? What are the reasons for England's exam system not working to benefit learners?

England's school exam system doesn't work for learners.
Latest blog discusses if it has Jumped The Shark and what can be done to improve it.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-do...

Dispelling 15 Myths of Digital School Exams Which myths about school digital exams can be dispelled?

Let's banish those digital exam myths. 15 fallacies debunked in this new blog. www.linkedin.com/pulse/dispel...

Is Ofqual worth £2M? By expanding its remit and raising a quality bar for exam owners, Ofqual can lift assessment quality across all government enabled assessment programmes.

Is Ofqual worth £2M? How an expanded remit and higher quality threshold could make it even better value.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/ofqual...

Cyber criminal hostage negotiators, bungling Victorians, April 1 bike exams, and influencers on their exam journey.

Here are the half-year stories from the digital exam sector!
www.linkedin.com/posts/geoffc...

Too many England educators catastrophise about digital, while their schools pay huge sums to compensate for inadequate (re)marking of paper scripts. And complain bitterly about halls and rooms being out of bounds for weeks.

Countries that already do digital are pointing and laughing.

When Leaders Undermine Their Sector: A 'Ratner' Moment in Exam Awarding? What happens when a sector leader 'Does a Ratner' and degrades his own company's qualifications?

Has the UK awarding body and assessment sector just had its 'Ratner' moment?
www.geoffchapman.com/post/has-the...

25 years of the Construction Health and Safety (Digital) Test In April 2000, a high stakes, invigilated digital exam was launched in the UK, showing that nationwide impactful, large-scale delivery can also enhance safety.

Over 25 years of high stakes digital exam delivery in the UK. This is the story of one big volume digital test that re-shaped test design and delivery for learners to maximise impact. Delivered every working day. To over 750k learners a year.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/25-yea...

Assessing writing quality using crowdsourced non-expert comparative judgement ratings This study examines the potential to use non-expert, crowd-sourced raters to score essays by comparing expert raters’ and crowd-sourced raters’ assessments of writing quality. Expert raters and cro...

Is Comparative Judgement really 'the gold standard' of human judgement?
Fascinating study that used crowd-sourced non-experts vs. expert raters.
Tl;DR "Non-expert raters were reliable, and their scores were moderately correlated with expert ratings."
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Who moved my cheese? How should change be handled for England's assessment system? Change. How to handle it in life, love, and work is possibly our greatest challenge.

Blog: Who moved my cheese? How should change be handled for England's assessment system?
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How lovely to see a UK press article mention psychometrics. First one I've seen in 25+ years. But sadly, exam length is not an indicator of reliability. Never let an economist anywhere near the construction of a high stakes exam.

NEET: How exam scandals are tainting India's most competitive tests Paper leaks have plunged India's exams into chaos, jeopardising the careers of millions of aspirants.

When a society believes summative exams is the only way, this is the behaviour it drives.

Westerners often patronise and lecture on exam malpractice - but they're often blissfully unaware of the criminality and 'soft' exam cheating that goes on in their own country.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The future of school digital exams and assessment? Explore the future of school exams and assessment with insights from the 2025 Next Generation Assessment Conference. Discover how school exams are evolving.

Blog: Why is recognition of digital exams still elusive? Why does trad media still indulge assessment heritage acts, such as handwriting hobbyists and manuscript martyrs?
www.linkedin.com/pulse/future...

Why is removing Maths and English from England’s apprenticeships so problematic? Explore why removing Maths and English from England’s apprenticeships is problematic.

Blog: Why is removing Maths and English from England’s apprenticeships so problematic?
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Best pens for exams that won't let you down Smudge-proof instruments which promote better legibility selected by a seasoned exam-taker

Smudgy, sweaty palms. Inelegant phalange bumps. Paper cuts. 7 different items crammed into a dusty case. Dysgraphia and dyslexia worries.
Do yourself a favour, forget Laszlo Biro, and tell the exam owner you take your exams on-screen.
www.standard.co.uk/shopping/esb...

YouTube video by VICTVS The VICTVS Podcast: Revision Notes - December

"Digital assessment is always held to a higher standard than analogue...it shines a harsh light on sub-optimal practice. That makes some people extremely uncomfortable."

Me on the Victvs Podcast reviewing some of the 2024 sector stories, trends, and future predictions.
youtu.be/BaGwE4CFnhs?...

Looking forward to conversation about fairness, testing and AI on Friday with an OECD panel. @ioe.bsky.social @uclpress.bsky.social #WeAreIOE

www.oecd-events.org/ai-wips2024/...

That's 31 tons of CO2. Who said computer based testing was better for the environment?

2024 Review of Exam and Assessment Sector A curious year for the assessment sector. $25M fines for exam cheating. UK spluttering on plans for digitising school exams. A regulator pacifying angry teachers about exams. An ‘Exam Nation’ book that nearly forgot to mention exams. And definitely not forgetting the never-ending growth and impending car crash of SEN learner assessment needs.Still curious? Cheating accountants, sweary solicitors, out-to-lunch politicians, dodgy academics - here are the stories of 2024.January The new year starte

Cheating accountants, sweary solicitors, out-to-lunch politicians, dodgy academics - here are the exam and assessment stories of 2024! www.geoffchapman.com/post/2024-re...

GCSEs and A-level exams in most subjects set to go onscreen by 2030 UK’s largest exam board's digital revolution plan would also see students taking two more popular GCSEs on computers by 2027

On-screen adoption means fair, valid, and reliable delivery for SEN learners locked out by paper delivery.
Would be good to see more SEN use cases.
And a spotlight shone on all the other digital assessment tools - not just on-screen typed essays.

inews.co.uk/news/gcse-al...

The e-Assessment Association’s submission to the UK Government’s Call for Evidence as part of the review of the Curriculum and Assessment system in England - The e-Assessment Association The UK Government’s review of the Curriculum and Assessment system in England presents a significant opportunity to reimagine how assessments can support

Well done eAssessment Association.
All the #CurriculumandAssessment evidence that policy folk need that proves digital assessment for schools is reliable, scalable, and inclusive. Exemplars, benefits, and 'plenty more where that came from'!
www.e-assessment.com/news/the-e-a...

PSA: A GCSE is a qualification, not an assessment.
An essay/ viva/ oral/ aural etc., are assessment instruments, not qualifications.