Based on my knowledge, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 should handle unclean exFAT volumes similar to Windows 10. However, I cannot provide a definitive answer without conducting a test on a Windows 8 or 8.1 machine.
In general, Windows operating systems utilize a file system's journal or transaction log to recover from an unclean disconnection. When a volume is not safely unmounted, Windows will prompt the user to repair the volume using CHKDSK to fix any file system errors caused by the improper disconnection.
With exFAT, specifically, write access to an unclean volume would depend on several factors, including the extent of corruption and the repairs needed. While FAT32 and NTFS file systems may allow write access to an unclean volume...