Former exam depicting rural life (8)
I believe the answer is:
pastoral
'depicting 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 "Of shepherds; pupil-welfare (responsibility)" , "Well-known symphony" , "to do with priestly duties" , "Depicting rural life" , "Regarding teacher's responsibility for pupil" .)