Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment she has made of the (a) security of in-person supervision and (b) best-in-class digital security measures in the Home Office English Language Test.

The Home Office has considered the relative strengths of in-person supervision and digital security measures as part of its work to develop the HOELT. The Department acknowledges that both delivery models have strengths and limitations. In-person supervision at secure test centres provides a controlled environment that limits certain categories of risk. Digital security measures, when applied rigorously, can provide robust identity verification, real-time monitoring, and audit trails. The procurement specification requires any proposed solution to demonstrate that its security measures are fit for purpose for a high-stakes immigration test, and the evaluation will assess how bidders address these considerations.