COVID-19 has brought with it a tremendous sea-change in higher education globally. It has brought an opportunity to reconsider the way in which assessment is approached. The context for this paper is a chemical engineering department in a research-intensive university located in central London. Open book exams are used minimally in the degree programmes with retention and knowledge being tested mostly through closed-book exams. The COVID-19 outbreak meant there was now a pressing need to reconsider how students could effectively be assessed under extraordinary circumstances. In the UK [United Kingdom], students were effectively nearing the end of the academic year when ordered into lockdown. Students departed for home, both nationally and overseas and there were only a few options to address assessment. The authors turned to an examination provision that comprised open-book examinations which were taken in fixed, timed sessions. This raised several issues related to: (1) the use of open book exams which many students had not experienced as part of their university assessment; (2) the implication of staggered assessments, accommodating different time zones, given that a large proportion of students are international; (3) using appropriate platforms to deliver and mark exams; and (4) providing pastoral care and support to students during their examination and study periods. This paper outlines the authors' approach to these issues and the impact they have on future assessment provision.