Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus, the exams of 2021 have been cancelled and professionals think that lockdown restrictions could last until 2024. So how will that affect exams?
Well last year, the exam boards agreed that GCSE and A-level results would be teacher-assessed grades, which although was good and bad for many reasons, but ultimately it led to more people receiving grades to get into their desired university than what was expected. Furthermore, people who were going to take their exams a year later had complications because of the virus. This inevitably caused confusion within the population. How long would this be for? Is this the new normal?
Before they announced that 2021 exams were cancelled, some exam boards gave schools the option to not include certain topics in the curriculum and only focus on the core topics. Again, this seems fair but still caused more confusion about if everyone was going to do that and if it would give different people different advantages.
On the other hand, the Department of Education confirmed that the results this year as well would be decided by teacher assessment. Moreover, the results this summer are likely to be released earlier than usual, possibly around early-July in contrast to the mid-August ruckus that we are all accustomed to. Although this may be to increase the time for appeals and allow more time before the start of university, college or sixth form. Also, exam boards are currently considering using mini-tests, which will be marked by teachers within schools, but they have not confirmed any other means of testing for those skills that require more practical, hands-on skills, like food technology.
In conclusion, the GCSEs are still under the works as they have been heavily impacted by the virus, as have A-levels, but how long this will go on for is still unknown.
