My five year old son was pale and would not eat his breakfast. When I asked what was wrong, he told me felt sick. It transpired he had a ‘maths test’ in school that day. Needless to say he didn’t do very well in the test and from that day forward decided that he was ‘no good’ at maths or exams.
Years later, when taking GCSE’s I managed to find him a tutor who made maths fun and rebuilt his confidence, however the regular tests and exams at school remained a hurdle that he hated and seemed unable to jump.
A friend’s child on the other hand, loved taking exams, did hardly any work during the term but had the ability to study and absorb the information over night before the exam and then once it was out on the exam paper, never remembered the information again!
There are many differing opinions about the benefits and negative aspects of exams. We have done some research to share with you.
Exam season is behind us and around the country more that 650,000 children aged 10 and 11 completed their Standard Assessment Tests, otherwise known as SATS. Carried out at the end of Year Six, these are designed to evaluate students’ progress and measure school performance. However there is an increasing body of evidence that exams and high stakes testing can have negative effects on some primary-aged children.
Whilst SATs are the first major mandatory exam that school children face, there are various optional tests and assessments for school children from Reception year all the way through primary school. Whilst there is criticism that the number of tests has increased for primary school students, the official number of mandatory tests has actually decreased in recent years. Mandatory national testing at the end of Year 2 was removed, leaving the decision up to individual schools or trusts about whether to implement them. However, children still face statutory assessments at other points, such as the Year 4 multiplication tables check, the Year 1 phonics screening check, and Key Stage 2 SATs in Year 6.
The main reasons that schools rely on regular exams and assessments are:
As class sizes are often large it can be challenging for teachers to comprehend the level of understanding that each child has without carrying out tests and assessments. Knowing each child’s level of understanding in essential subjects such as English and Maths can help the teacher to identify ‘problem’ areas and offer more support where it’s needed.
When children move up to secondary school, the number of exams and assessments increases. SATs can help them start to prepare for this transition. The results can also be helpful to pass on to the child’s secondary school and identify where they may need additional support.
This is the one that comes under most fire from critics of exams who say that schools put too much pressure on children for the benefit of their own statistics.
The government uses data collected from tests and assessments to rank schools in league tables, assess whether schools meet national standards, and inform Ofsted inspections.
Whilst exams may be useful for schools and build students’ confidence in some cases, there are also many concerns about the negative impact of exams on children.
A 2023 systematic review which examined 76 studies involving more than 53,000 children aged 5–12 found that test anxiety was associated with lower wellbeing, higher levels of social anxiety and depression and lower self-confidence.
Research on test anxiety consistently shows that formal assessments can trigger significant emotional and physiological stress responses in children. Reviews of the evidence describe test anxiety as a widespread and generally harmful emotional experience that can interfere with learning and performance.
Rachel Melville-Thomas, a world-leading child psychotherapist and spokesperson for the Association of Child Psychotherapists, said stress and anxiety has “definitely got worse” among young people, adding that pressures from social media can exacerbate the problem.
A study from the UCL Institute of Education found that pressure surrounding SATs was influencing schools to group children by attainment in preparation for tests. Researchers argued that these practices could damage pupils' self-esteem and confidence, particularly for children placed in lower-attaining groups.
Critics of SATs argue that the pressure to achieve good results can lead schools to devote more time to tested subjects such as English and maths, at the expense of creative subjects, physical education and broader learning experiences. This concern has been raised by researchers, teachers' unions and participants in curriculum reviews.
Whilst some children thrive under the pressure of a time limited exam, an exam set up doesn’t suit all children. Children who feel anxious or stressed about exams, and children with additional needs, may not be able to display the extent of their knowledge or understanding in an exam setting.This can lead to results that don’t fully represent that child’s ability.
Research suggests that exams themselves are not necessarily harmful, but high-stakes testing environments can increase anxiety, reduce children's confidence and encourage a narrower curriculum. The greatest risks appear to arise when test results become a dominant measure of success rather than one tool among many for understanding a child's learning.
Perhaps rather than abolishing exams completely schools should be asking these questions;
Can exams and assessments be explained to students in a different way to minimise stress and anxiety? Some schools will frame exams like SATs in such a way that it feels very important to both the child and the school. Although this may motivate some students, for others it may cause them to feel undue pressure and worry, especially if they feel they won’t gain a high level of attainment.
Can a child’s ability be assessed in a less rigid way that is more accessible to a wider variety of children? Could understanding be evaluated through standardised classwork or coursework rather than solely through exams?
One of the biggest criticisms of exams for children is that the age that children are being tested is moving earlier and earlier.
Learning, especially at a young age, should be about curiosity, exploration and developing confidence rather than performing under pressure. Exams can create unnecessary anxiety, undermine children’s enjoyment of learning and disadvantage those who develop at different rates or have additional needs.
In the UK, primary-aged children already face significant assessment through tests such as the Year 1 phonics screening check and, often, Key Stage 1 and 2 assessments. Rather than relying on formal exams, schools could use age-appropriate, ongoing assessment that allows teachers to understand each child’s progress without making children feel that their worth or ability is determined by a test.
Ultimately, the question should not simply be whether children should do exams, but whether the way we assess young children is helping them to learn and thrive. Assessment has an important role to play in identifying children’s strengths and areas where they need support, but high-stakes testing can come at a cost to wellbeing, confidence and enjoyment of learning. Rather than placing so much emphasis on exam results, we should consider a broader, more flexible approach to assessment that recognises that children learn and demonstrate their abilities in different ways. Childhood should be a time to develop curiosity, confidence and a love of learning, not a time when children feel that their worth is measured by a test.
What do you think? Would you abolish exams, change them or do you think they're fit for purpose?
