Students across the United Kingdom will notice a huge difference in how they get their GCSE results this summer. Beginning on Thursday, August 21, students will have the ability to view their grades on a mobile app. This change is nothing less than a new day for digital education records. This small initiative is the federal government’s small but admirable plan of the century. It seeks to consolidate all examination results and certifications on an online centralized verification system.
Hathershaw College in Oldham has been at the forefront of this sea-change. Since last spring, they’ve been running their own local trial of the app. Mark Giles, principal of The Hathershaw College, said he was excited about the new technology. He’s told reporters that the app is “sophisticated, accurate, and verifiable.” Students in the pilot program were given the option to pick up their hard copy results in person. This choice allows them to replicate the thrill of tearing open their results envelope.
On results day, students will be able to access their grades via the app starting at 11:00 AM, while those choosing to collect their results in person can do so from 08:00 AM. This dual approach is intended to meet the needs and preferences of different students and families.
James Bowen, NAHT assistant general secretary, talked about creating a new approach to processing exam results. He’s convinced that this shift is necessary for achieving long-term success. He stated his satisfaction with the app’s pilot program and highlighted that it “makes a lot of sense to look into modernising how exam results are handled.” Along the same lines, he recognized that in the education sector, and especially right now, anything that can reduce bureaucracy and costs is a good thing.
Bowen highlighted that there is no room for error when addressing high-stakes issues like test scores. It’s now incumbent on the government to make sure all of this goes well.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) have been positive about this step towards digital education records. Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of ASCL, supports the government’s digital initiative. He pointed out that funding down to the ground-level infrastructure is absolutely essential for schools and colleges to fully embrace this new paradigm.
Yet for all these progressions, GCSE exams will still largely be taken on pen and paper. The exam period for this year started on May 5 and is set to end on June 25.
