“Time’s Up” for Exams: New Report Sparks Calls for UK Assessment Reform

  • 70% of teachers say AI will shape the future of students’ careers

  • Traditional GCSE and A-Levels could face radical overhaul as research reveals demand for new assessment methods

  • 62% of parents want to see traditional exams replaced

  • FindTutors presents five forward-thinking alternatives to outdated testing

FindTutors, a top private tuition service in the UK run by GoStudent, has issued a strong call for educational reform following research showing traditional exams no longer meet the demands of a fast-evolving, AI-driven world.

As students prepare to wrap up another academic year, fresh insights from the Future of Education Report 2025 reveal growing concern among parents and educators alike. The research shows that 62% of parents believe today’s exam formats must evolve in response to artificial intelligence, with a significant number of students already using AI tools – 16% for essay writing and 21% to aid in passing exams.

Many parents (59%) now question whether standard grades truly reflect their children’s overall skillsets. A further 58% say too much classroom time is spent memorising information rather than developing the critical reasoning required in modern workplaces.

The report suggests that long-standing systems like GCSEs, A-Levels, and National Qualifications in Scotland may soon be overhauled. A majority of teachers (84%) now favour simulation-based assessments, where students can showcase their learning through practical, real-world situations rather than written exams.

The findings also point to portfolio assessments as a valuable alternative, allowing students to build and present work over time. This shift could better prepare young people for university and employment – a view supported by data from the National Bureau of Economic Research, which shows rising demand for soft skills. FindTutors found 64% of parents believe these skills will become more essential in an AI-led future – yet are not captured by traditional exam methods.

Albert Clemente, CEO at FindTutors, outlines five alternative assessment methods that educational institutions should consider implementing to better measure student talent in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape:
  1. Simulation-based assessment (74% teacher support): Students demonstrate knowledge by making decisions in real-world scenarios, an approach already widely used in healthcare education.
  2. Portfolio assessment (69% teacher support): Students build up a digital collection of work over time, allowing for a comprehensive view of progress rather than measuring performance on a single day.
  3. Peer and self-assessment (67% teacher support): Students evaluate their own work and that of classmates, developing critical thinking skills and deeper understanding of assessment criteria.
  4. Learning analytics (66% teacher support): ‘Big data’ assesses all student work across digital platforms, providing insights into learning patterns and progress that traditional exams cannot capture.
  5. AI-based adaptive testing (63% teacher support): Personalised assessment adjusts to individual abilities, providing more accurate measurement of capabilities by tailoring difficulty levels to each student.
“Traditional essays and exams have been the cornerstone of education for more than a century, but our research clearly shows that both teachers and parents recognise the need for change. In particular, with 35% of teachers stating students cheat by using AI and 26% believing technology has made traditional assessments redundant, we need to rethink how we evaluate learning,” Clemente said.
With nearly half (41%) of teachers stating exams rely too heavily on memorising facts and 34% believing they create undue stress, the call for new assessment methods comes at a crucial time for UK education.
The research also found that 71% of teachers believe access to AI should be supervised rather than banned, highlighting the need to adapt assessment methods to the digital reality students now inhabit.
Noel Alberts

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