Assessment Now! 2025

Forum for insights and excellence in exams services

The worlds of learning and work are evolving faster than ever, driven by technological change, shifting skill demands, and new ways of delivering education. Our programme for Assessment Now! 2025 is built around the theme ‘Reimagining assessment for a changing world of learning and work’.

The programme this year is purposefully designed to be even more interactive, from plenary panel discussions to rotating table talks and focused breakout sessions, ensuring every participant can contribute, challenge ideas, and take away actionable insights.

This year's discussions will explore:

• Authenticity in assessment - How can assessment go beyond traditional testing and mirror real-world tasks, workplace challenges and integrated learning experiences, ensuring relevance in a rapidly evolving environment and technological landscape?
• Accessibility and equity in assessment – Assessment should enable every learner to demonstrate their potential, regardless of need, location or context. How can we build inclusivity into every stage of assessment, from development to delivery, ensuring fairness through reasonable adjustments and accessible technologies.
• Global challenges in assessment – Delivering assessment across borders means balancing global scalability with cultural, regulatory and operational realities. How can we deliver assessments that are culturally responsive, locally adaptable, and globally consistent?

The programme will also look ahead to an emerging priority - teaching and testing AI literacy, which is an essential skill learners need to thrive in both educational and professional settings.

Together, we will share insights, practical examples, and forward-looking strategies to ensure assessment continues to remain relevant, equitable, and globally responsive in an era of rapid change.

About Assessment Now!

Assessment Now! is an interactive forum for leaders in the assessment industry, sharing insights and excellence in exams services, and sharing the future of assessment. Through expert-led keynotes, dynamic panel discussions, and highly peer-driven interactions, it creates space for richer dialogue and deeper connections.

Each year, Assessment Now! focuses on critical topics driving change across the industry, from AI and emerging technologies to learner experience, assessment integrity and security, and the challenges of delivering assessments in diverse global contexts.

Supporting innovation in assessment: British Council sponsors the 2025 e-Assessment Awards

At the British Council, we are committed to shaping the future of education through innovation in assessment. As a global leader in delivering high-quality examinations, we continuously explore new ways to enhance accessibility, fairness, and excellence in digital assessment.

As the Headline Sponsor of the 2025 International e-Assessment Awards, we proudly support pioneering advancements that transform learning and assessment worldwide. Building on our longstanding collaboration with the e-Assessment Association (eAA), we are actively contributing to key industry conversations through keynote speeches, expert panels, and thought leadership.

Join us at the eAA 2025 Conference and Awards, taking place from Monday 9 - Wednesday 11 June 2025 at the Leonardo Royal London St Paul’s, London, United Kingdom, to connect with British Council colleagues, gain insights from our keynotes, and explore how technology is redefining global assessment standards.

On 6 November in Stratford, London, Assessment Now! 2024 gathered approximately 70 leaders and experts in the assessment industry to explore the latest trends and challenges in exams services. Opened by British Council CEO Scott McDonald, the forum offered attendees from awarding bodies, educational institutions, government bodies, and industry regulators an engaging space for discussion.

The event featured expert keynotes, interactive panels, and focused breakout sessions on high-impact topics, including AI integration in assessment, exam security, and enhancing learner experiences. Panels explored the implications of AI on test fairness, while breakout sessions facilitated discussions on safeguarding exam integrity in a digital landscape. Through meaningful dialogue, participants shared actionable insights and strategies for addressing emerging trends and challenges, such as global test standardization and technology’s evolving role in assessment.

Assessment Now! concluded with a collaborative vision for the future of assessment—strengthening networks and fostering partnerships aimed at raising global assessment standards.

Assessment Now! 2024 - Event highlights

British Council recognised for Excellence in International Assessment Delivery

We are proud to announce that the British Council has been awarded the e-Assessment Association's Best International Implementation award for our work on the Large Scale Multi-Modal Technology Enabled Assessment project with University of London Worldwide. This award underscores our commitment to innovation, security, and global reach in high-stakes assessment delivery.

This recognition highlights our successful collaboration with the University of London to deliver a robust, technology-enabled assessment model in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting with a rapid shift to at-home open-book assessments in 2020, the project evolved into a sophisticated solution incorporating computer-based assessments, record-and-review remote proctoring, and live remote proctoring options.

In May 2023, we administered approximately 15,000 in-centre exams across multiple regions. Following this success, the University of London expanded the programme to 32 countries, with over 50,000 exams delivered globally through a combination of delivery models.

Explore how the British Council can support your organisation with scalable, secure assessment solutions worldwide.

Contact us to learn more