Students should be able to type their GCSE and A-level exam answers because handwriting for long periods can be tiring, the head of Malvern College has said.
Keith Metcalfe has called on exam boards to drop compulsory handwritten exams for GCSEs and A-levels in favour of typed papers, in order “to improve fairness and accessibility for all”, The Telegraph reports.
Mr Metcalfe said that the pandemic meant students have become used to touch-typing and online learning, meaning handwriting was becoming more tiring.
He added that schools should continue to teach both typing and handwriting skills, but said that it is important for exam boards to abandon “antiquated” handwritten exams.
Mr Metcalfe said that handwritten exams do not prepare students for the “real world”, where handwriting is “becoming less valid”.