Should All Exams Be Typed?

 by Wilf Brown

In 2016, all schools in Finland disposed of handwriting lessons. In place of the handwriting lessons, pupils were taught how to type and send text messages. Finland’s board of education stated that these typing skills were more useful in everyday life. Despite the fact that handwriting is an important part of your typical curriculum in the UK, some teachers think that typing is becoming more relevant for pupils. In December 2021, Keith Metcafle, headmaster at Malvern College in Worcestershire, said that A-level and GCSE exams should be typed instead of hand-written because writing by hand is too tiring for students during exams. This was partially because of the fact that students used keyboards instead of pens when being taught remotely, but also because typing text messages is becoming more common than hand-written notes. Some people say schools should embrace pupils’ modern life; others want to protect a vital skill. It is a difficult debate to conclude as both sides are able to produce persuasive arguments. 

Some say that handwriting is old, boring, a thing of the past. A recent 2021 survey concluded that one in 10 people in the UK wrote absolutely nothing by hand last year. Emails and texts, people’s main ways of communication, are of course typed, not written by hand. Also, during lockdown, many students got more used to working on electronic devices. Some students therefore argue that exams should be updated to reflect changing habits and new ways of working inside of school. Most written work is now done digitally. Typed tests would be better preparation for the world of work. Exams should be about testing a student’s knowledge, not their handwriting skills. Typed tests would make it easier for everyone to show what they’ve learned. 

However, some would argue that being able to write well is a very crucial life skill. Even if people aren’t writing as much as they used to, they’ll still need clear handwriting to fill in forms, for example. According to school inspectors, people’s handwriting is already suffering. Getting rid of handwritten tests would only make the current situation more dire. Although adults do most of their work on computers or laptops, a lot of schoolwork is still done by hand. Therefore, handwriting tests are still appropriate, or perhaps even more vital than ever before. In fact, studies have shown that people learn more when they’re writing notes down than when they’re typing on a keyboard. If the purpose of school and exams is for pupils to remember all this information in later life, then handwritten tests are the way to go. Junior Schools still place a great deal of importance on handwriting with the coveted “Pen Licence” only being handed out to students who demonstrate neat and legible handwriting. Also, what grandparent doesn't love a beautifully written birthday card or thank you note?! 

Personally I think it is a natural progression for exams to become digital. Whether it is possible for schools to provide the amount of devices needed to enable this change is another question and probably one the Government at the moment do not have time to consider!