What would happen to exams in this scenario?

[kmo0416]

If Russia launched a full-scale nuclear attack on the UK during May/June when GCSE and A-Levels occur, what would happen to those exams and to universities who need the results? This is as they were cancelled during COVID so I was wondering what would happen in such a scenario.

I’m sure we’d have bigger fish to fry.

maybe just do some revision

If Russia launched a full-scale nuclear attack on the UK during exam season, there wouldn't be any universities or jobs or liveable life in the next academic year anyway, so I shouldn't worry too much about GCSE results, if I were you.

If Russia launch a nuclear war then I don’t think exams will matter much!

Watch threads (available on iPlayer). That will give you an idea of the relevance of exams and results in your mad scenario.

Are you thinking this is the best scenario for one of your children this year? 🤣

Would that be a full scale attack that left year 11, year 13 students and higher education establishments unaffected ?

This is exactly the reason why boards have the contingency days in June.

Make sure you download enough Mr Bruff etc to your devices so the end of the internet doesn't impact revision in the bunker under the stairs. I'd also leave a breadcrumb trail of highlighters to the school gym, so the mushroom cloud doesn't obscure your navigation on the day. Invigilators have been warned that anyone who is visibly showing signs of radiation sickness won't be allowed to work, as JCQ only offer 5% special consideration for DC distracted by pulsating sores or dangling limbs.

You'd be dead or dying, so not worth worrying about really. It's all very 1980s. Use that as a reference.

Exams would carry on unless the school has taken a direct hit. Pupils would be advised to wrap themselves in tin foil for the journey to school to reflect radiation and to provide their own bucket if feeling affected by radiation sickness. I’m sure your dcs school will have a written policy on this, maybe ask to see it?

Am I correct in guessing you are not old enough to remember the 1980s, OP?

I think exams would be the least of anyone’s worries if there was full scale nuclear war. Kind of weird to be so concerned about it tbh.

Full scale nuclear attack —- exams and their results would be at the bottom of your list of worries. If you survived.

This is a joke, isn't it?
Never read anything about the aftermath of a nuclear bomb? No idea of the effects Nagasaki and Hiroshima had on Japan?
Never watched a documentary about nuclear weapons/scientists?
Never wondered why everyone wanted to ban the bomb?
Never wondered about how to think things through to a logical conclusion before asking daft questions?

There is resilience planning now for a situation where exams can’t go ahead. Most schools would likely use mock results as long as they had been done in accordance with the guidance.

But, as others have said, if there is a full scale nuclear attack I don’t think we’d be worrying too much about exam results!

Ohhhhh... that's the reason all mock exams are now performed under rigorous rules, invigilated etc.

Any "surviving" teachers will decide on your grades based on mock results. Kind of like in covid, but with proof.

I have kids doing exams this year and this is the last thing on my mind. Ever since Covid, I’ve tried to focus on what I can control.

Ha ha. Reminds me of a query I got at work asking if there a total country wide phone, electricity and internet black out how would they be able to make phone calls.

I was thinking "dude, in that scenario you not being able make phone calls would be the least of your fucking problems"

In the event of a full scale nuclear attack it would be the end of life as we know it and exams would be irrelevant. Personally I think a cyber attack is more likely in which case they would use mocks results.

Come on now, when we are all roaming the nuclear ravaged landscape that used to be the UK, fighting over the last few tins of tuna those GCSE results might come in useful.

If the UK was hit by a nuclear weapon, I'm not sure the survivors would care about exams or going to university this year. I'm not sure how many universities would be left!
From what I remember of Cold War planning, if you weren't going to a bunker (people who were knew about it, I remember a friend asking whether we were going to be in the same bunker!) then you weren't going to survive a nuclear winter.

I was wondering this 😆 perhaps OP has a hotline to Putin and is currently feeding him the exam dates

Well, I for one, wouldn’t be giving a shiny shite about anything other than the imminent death and my loved ones and I! What do you think will happen during a full nuclear attack on the UK op?!

Well, for a full scale nuclear attack, I'm not sure that GCSE results will matter hugely to the survivors.

But - after the Covid GCSE class of 2020, DS (Y11 now) school introduced a second set of Mocks just before the Easter break, so they had very recent examined assessment of the students, in case the whole exam season needs to be cancelled. I don't know if this is a government initiative, more widely spread or just DS's school. For one or two exams, there's the contingency day.

Yes, that's a very worrying scenario OP.

Perhaps if we phone that nice Mr Putin, he'll delay obliterating our country and all who live here until after exam season.

I'm sure if we ask really nicely he'll also wait until after the results come out until after everyone has had their summer holiday.

But perhaps best not start early on Christmas shopping in case he refuses to wait any longer to nuke us.