Cambridge is transitioning to include digital IGCSE, AS, and A Level exams, aiming for 85% of International Education exams to be available in a digital format by 2033. The introduction of digital exams is driven by the opportunity to assess more skills and knowledge acquired in today’s classrooms.
Cambridge’s latest findings suggest that the format of an exam—whether digital or paper—has minimal impact on student performance overall. Their research, titled Mode Effects in Digital v Paper Assessments, examined whether the same question might be harder or easier depending on whether it was completed on a screen or on paper.
The full report is slated for publication in the upcoming issue of Cambridge’s Research Matters, scheduled for early April, providing a detailed peer-reviewed account of the methodology and findings.
Digital vs Paper Assessments
The team examined 795 questions from 31 different exam sets across various subjects, such as Computer Science, English Language, and Global Perspectives. Their analysis revealed that only about one in five questions (18.2%) showed any variation in difficulty between the two formats.
Notably, the split was even: half of the differing items proved easier on a screen, while the other half favored the traditional paper format, showing the subtle nature of mode effects.
The researchers noted that any observed differences were more likely tied to external factors, like variations among student groups, platform functionality, or how questions were structured, rather than the exam format itself. Carmen Vidal Rodeiro, a lead researcher at Cambridge, emphasized that the results align with the university’s plans to expand digital exam options, ensuring fairness across both methods.
Ensuring Fairness and Comparability
The Digital Mocks Service, a programme launched in 2023 providing past papers in a digital format, has already seen over 30,000 exams taken in 18 subjects across 60 countries.
The next round of digital mocks is scheduled for July, and any schools wishing to join Excellence Junior School’s participation can submit an Expression of Interest form between 20 April and 31 May.
AI-Assisted Marking
Cambridge’s research team has also explored how artificial intelligence can improve the grading of digital mock exams. After testing more than 100,000 essays previously marked by examiners, AI proved highly consistent and has been introduced on selected components of Cambridge International AS and A Level English General Paper and English Language exams for the January 2026 Digital Mock Series.
Examiners will continue to have oversight, with human judgement integrated into the final AI-assisted decision-making and marking.
Cambridge will deliver its first digital IGCSE and AS and A Level exams this May/June, and the research described here is just some of that undertaken to support this change. Other studies, such as Predictive Validity of Digital Mock Assessments, have looked at how well students’ performance in digital mock exams predicts their results in corresponding live paper-based exams.
This investigation found that digital mock exams have strong predictive validity, which means, for most subjects, students’ results in digital mocks give a reliable indication of how they will perform in the live paper exam. Further reading This issue of Cambridge Outlook magazine looks into the impact of digital technology on teaching and learning, highlighting the ways Cambridge is supporting schools worldwide in preparing young people for an increasingly digital future.
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