Assessment practice in higher education has undergone significant changes in recent years, with COVID-19 forcing universities to adopt a digital-first approach during the temporary disruption and prompting wider reflection on the merits of traditional closed-book examinations as opposed to more modern formats. End-of-course assessments are, alongside teaching and research, a core part of what universities do. Their administration consumes a huge amount of effort and resources and, for students, these final exams are the culmination of several years of learning and feedback. Yet despite the centrality of exam scripts to the whole process of assessment, there has so far been no comprehensive study of the approaches taken by different universities towards student access to scripts. This report explains the historical and regulatory context surrounding access to scripts, analyses newly gathered data on universities' current approaches, explores the reasons why the status quo is as it is and makes recommendations based on best practices from across the education sector.