Onscreen assessment
The natural choice for today's students
Pearson is proud to be leading the way in onscreen assessment as the first awarding body to offer onscreen International GCSE and International A Level exams alongside traditional paper-based exams.
Students sat their Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language exams onscreen for the first time in 2022 following a thorough pilot. The number of students sitting onscreen exams has seen a five-fold increase in the last year and the number of schools onboarding has more than tripled. By the examination series in 2026 there will be 14 subjects available for international schools to take onscreen exams in.
Students and teachers love it!
Students said...
“More time to plan and get my thoughts straight and that makes my outcome a much better quality.” - Maya
Teachers said...
“Some of the students were very happy to be able to take onscreen assessment while others were happy to know that they were still able to take the paper-based exams.” - Amy Ladds
British International School of Marbella
Results are clear
“The exam ran so smoothly and the students had no issues and the online invigilator platform worked perfectly.” - Samantha Roden
Onscreen exams now available in more subjects
Now entering their third year, Pearson Edexcel onscreen examinations are available for students to sit in the following International GCSE and International A Level (IAL®) subjects:
Available for first onscreen assessment now:
- International GCSE Business
- International GCSE Economics
- International GCSE English Language A
- International GCSE English Literature
- International GCSE History
- International A Level English Literature
- International A Level English Language
Available for first onscreen assessment from 2025:
- NEW - GCSE English*
- International GCSE Geography (limited number of centres)
- NEW - International GCSE Global Citizenship
- International GCSE Islamic Studies
- International GCSE Pakistan Studies
*subject to Ofqual approval
From summer 2026 your students could also sit their exams onscreen for:
- International GCSE Information and Communication Technology
- International GCSE English as a Second Language
- International GCSE Computer Science
Onscreen assessment guides
If you’re interested in offering Onscreen Assessment in your school, share these guides with your school community.
Onscreen assessment in action
NEW: International A Levels
Students across the world can take onscreen exams for our Pearson Edexcel International A Level qualifications as well as our International GCSEs as more subjects are added from May 2024.
Missed our recent webinar?
Watch our 'Onscreeen Assessment your questions answered!' webinar where you can hear from our trailblazing schools who have tried and tested onscreen assessment
Pearson Edexcel Mocks Service
Students can sit a range of International GCSE and International A Level past papers onscreen and have it marked by our expert marking team. Over 4,000 students sat onscreen Pearson Edexcel GCSE mock exams in 2021.
Onscreen assessment in Egypt
Working with the Egyptian Ministry of Education, we deliver over 14 million high-stakes onscreen assessments to over 1.6 million students each year.
A fivefold increase
In 2024 we saw a fivefold increase in students choosing onscreen assessment to take their high stakes exams. Find out more in our onscreen infographic.
Read our FAQs
Got a question? Check out our frequently asked questions for more details including the technology requirements for onscreen assessments, invigilation ratios, the qualifications involved and how assessments are awarded.
What international schools say
Thousands of students now sit their International GCSE exams onscreen. The results are clear:
Teachers love it - 100% of teachers who registered students for onscreen exams in 2022 have registered for the 2023 exam series too
Students love it - 90% of students who sat their exams onscreen in 2022 said they wanted their school to offer more onscreen exams in the future.
What's more, our success in onscreen assessment has led to us becoming a BETT Award Finalist for Transformational Impact.
Our rich heritage in creating onscreen assessments
Onscreen assessment isn’t new to Pearson. We introduced the first completely computer-based English test with Pearson Test of English over 12 years ago.
Our rich heritage and experience of developing and delivering onscreen assessments at scale with the Pearson Test of English, the Egyptian Ministry of Education, GCSE Computer Science qualification, and currently two years of delivering high-stakes International GCSEs have ensured our onscreen platform is tried and tested.
It's a platform you can trust.
What we're exploring next
Every student, subject and assessment is unique. That’s why continuing our work with schools, employers and policymakers across countries and curricula is crucial to unlocking the opportunities of onscreen assessment.
Together, we will shape assessments that are accessible, inclusive and equip students for the future.
What are the barriers and opportunities with onscreen?
Our 'Onscreen Assessment Spotlight' report draws on expert views and surveys to identify the opportunities of technology in assessment and the barriers to change.
How can we shape accessible assessments?
We partnered with Assessment MicroAnalytics™ to explore how onscreen assessment might benefit students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
What does the future of assessment look like?
We asked students, teachers, parents, employers and parliamentarians for their thoughts on the future of assessments for 14–19-year-olds in England.