I think they should make the syllabus more specific to what a pilot actually needs to know, have less exams, and remove multiple choice.
That would be fewer exams, not less...
The problem is that the JAR-PPL entitles you to fly any SEP anywhere in the World, so the syllabus has to cover a large ground that may not all seem relevant in the UK in a C152, for instance.
If we were to go to a system of written answers, it would not only take a great deal of additional effort to mark, but also produce a variation in quality of rresults between different examiners. Knowing the Rules of the Air isn't quite the same as 'The Wars of the Roses had a marked effect on the wool trade in medieval England - discuss'.
TheOddOne