Students will get their GCSE results through an app in the future following a government trial this summer.
Ministers anticipate that the application might be launched as soon as 2026, which means adolescents won’t need to go in person to learn about their scores anymore.
Nevertheless, students will still be provided with a physical printout, and the majority are anticipated to carry on attending their respective schools regularly on the result announcement day to interact with educators and seek guidance.
The application will enable students to keep the results stored digitally on their phones, making them easily retrievable when required for employment or higher education applications.
The Department for Education (DfE) said it will cut bureaucracy and save pupils ‘scrabbling around’ for paper documents.
The intention is for individuals to have the ability to view their personal records through the application during their entire career span.
This summer, the program will be tested with 95,000 students in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands before being fully implemented.
The Education Minister, Stephen Morgan, stated: “It is long overdue for examination records to be modernized for the 21st century, and this trial will enable schools and colleges to concentrate on their core mission: educating future generations instead of getting entangled in administrative tasks.”
The ‘Education Record’ application forms part of the government’s broader commitment to leverage technology for enhancing the efficiency of public services.
Authorities predict that the application could help educational institutions save up to £30 million annually after the comprehensive implementation is finished.
They mention that this system might fit into the new ‘gov.uk wallet’ presently under development by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This wallet will facilitate the use of official digital documents like driving licenses.
This week, Mr Morgan went to Hathershaw College, a secondary school located in Oldham, where they have been testing the app since early 2024.
Mark Giles, the principal, stated that the Educational Record was ‘precise, confirmable, and could be promptly shared with institutions.’
He stated: “We think this measure will lessen the paperwork for schools, and might also assist parents of young kids in easing their move-up from primary to secondary education.”
James Bowen, the assistant general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, stated, “It is quite sensible to explore updating the way examination results are managed, and any steps taken to reduce red tape and expenses are appreciated.”
‘It is crucial that all modifications benefit schools and colleges along with students during this consistently hectic and stressful period for school administrators and their teams.’
Pepe Di’Iasio, the General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, stated: “The Education Record application marks a progressive move towards increased utilization of digital technology within education and will confer advantages upon students, schools, and colleges alike.”
So far, the progress in educational technology has mostly happened in an unsatisfactorily disjointed manner—largely driven by the market instead of through a unified national strategy.
We hope for a far more strategic perspective.
This should apply to examinations as well, which are still predominantly administered using pens and paper. This leads to significant challenges related to securely storing and transporting exam materials and answer sheets.
A digital examination system would benefit all parties concerned, and we encourage the government to allocate resources towards building the necessary infrastructure for schools and colleges so that this can become a reality.
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