Former exam relating to rural life (8)
I believe the answer is:
pastoral
'relating to rural life' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'former exam' is the wordplay.
'former' becomes 'past' ('past' can be similar in meaning to 'former').
'exam' becomes 'oral' (oral exam is a kind of exam).
'past'+'oral'='PASTORAL'
(Other definitions for pastoral that I've seen before include "(Poem) of country life" , "of minister's duties" , "Of sheperds, or concerned with spiritual guidance" , "Depicting rural life" , "Ministerial" .)