Are the increasing physical demands of traditional testing still fair?

I currently have a lot of marking to do.

A LOT.

Dozens of hours.

All to be done outside of school hours.

Of course, this means that I’ve watched nine classes of examinations over the last week.

Anguished expressions.

Confused faces.

Boredom as the final moments tick away and the student finished their paper 15 minutes ago.

But, one physical trait kept emerging.

Discomfort.

Fingers.

Hands.

Wrists.

Arms.

Backs.

Necks.

Twisted.

Shaken.

Stretched.

All because the essays and exams had been hand-written. Old-school. Pen & paper. Analogue.

And the result was painful to watch.

But, as the distress unfolded before my eyes, I wondered about the stain that traditional exams put a modern student under.

Are students in 2026 at a greater disadvantage compared to a generation ago?

Due to their lack of practice in writing, are we progressively hindering students ability to accurately convey their knowledge due to the medium we ask them to communicate in?

Now, I’m not advocating for the abolition of written exams.

Writing matters.

The ability to communicate through writing matters.

It always will.

Or at least should.

But, as I witnessed the twitching and twiddling during the exams - actions costing the students examination time - I recalled that I went through a similar thing.

Due to the increased use of technology - be it laptops, iPads or phones - and the increasing physical toll that prolonged exposure to these activities has, is traditional testing methods setting up our students to preform their best?