Will IGCSEs go ahead

[Summertime2]

Anyone on here with a child taking international GCSEs in the uk and have any info as to whether they will go ahead in June?

We have been told by the school that they are not cancelled. Rather worried about this as it will very much disadvantage these uk kids who've missed so much teaching when they are lumped in with all the many more international students who have been taught as normal - and then examined as if the same...

Regarding why indies didn't dump them when GGSEs reformed - some are still more rigorous, some still give flexbility within the syllabus, some have a wider range of modules to select from. Just a few reasons.

Most do and did a mix.

DD2 has 6 IGCSEs (all 3 sciences, history, Spanish & German) and 4 GCSEs (maths, geog and both Englishes). So a mix.

They are apparently going ahead: www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55581576 but who knows if that will change?

My boys’ schools also do a mix of GCSEs and IGCSEs, but all on numbered grades.

For all private candidates (both home Ed kids and adults) IGCSEs going ahead would be excellent.

Not really if they can't book exams. The amount of exams centres taking private candidates this year has plummeted and the closure of schools will only drop it further. Many are scrambling who chose methods with external tutors that last year gave CAGs to those who would normally take exams elsewhere.

For Edexcel IGCSEs, the closure date for booking and paying is the end of the month, so the cynic in me is suspecting the decision will be made after that.

As Bibabbles said, finding an exam centre willing to go ahead with business as usual is going to be a problem for many.

@CarrieErbag Boris cancelled exams on Wed 18th March last year so almost a full term later than this year. A huge percentage of pupils around the world had been home schooling for weeks at that point and yet CiE & Edexcel were insistent all over the weekend and into the following week that iGCSE's would go ahead, they eventually caved. This year there may be a more individual approach to things country by country.

DD is with Interhigh taking A levels, one Edexcel, 2 Cambridge International. She is Year 12, but wanted to do the ASs this year as practice.

t seems that Cambridge are going ahead as so many of their candidates are non-UK. We've been advised to register as private candidates at Interhigh headquarters in Wales, so that if exams can't be actually sat the process of teacher assessment will be easier.

Finding an exam centre in my neck of the woods for her particular subjects was a nightmare anyway. The deadline for using the local centre gets ever closer and I am just hanging it out, checking daily for some sort of definitive conclusion to this.

@Summertime2

That's interesting catsndogslife - so grade boundaries are determined by looking at students in each time zone rather than the cohort as a whole? That would at least mean UK students being compared to their contemporaries who've had their teaching affected

Grade boundaries are for each paper. There's three variants of each paper. UK students will be using the same variant as the whole of Europe, most of Africa, and some of the Middle East IIRC.

Last year CAIE and Edexcel had to cancel exams after global pressure to do so, with so many countries in lockdown in May and June. Edexcel did so well before CAIE. They both got August, October and January resits done though, as various countries around the world were able to run them. They will be desperate to do so again where possible, they make huge amounts of money from them, and the demand is there from the 1000s of international schools around the world which could run them. They'll also be very conscious of not scaring schools away from using them again though. It's complex, I do think they'll end up cancelling, or running two systems where some do exams and some get CAGs, which will be a nightmare.

Placemarking for information

We’ve been told at present they are going ahead.

The ideal would be having the option to either sit the exam (if you can find a willing centre) or award grades by CAGs. Also to have the decision made either way ASAP as the last thing anyone needs right now is more uncertainty.

Lionlily we’re in the same boat DD year 12 should sit 2 AS levels with Interhigh this summer

I’m deeply concerned as I’m ECV, DD and DH are CV and we would have to take her to Wales which is quite a trek

Did you feel that the email tonight was trying to reassure they thought uk exams would be cancelled?

We had a webinar with our headmaster about this last night. Our school had online learning up and running before Easter, so they have not been affected nearly as much as many schools, bar a few individuals who found it hard to cope with, and of course those more hands on subjects like art and DT, PE and sciences have suffered. But it is still not the same as being in the classroom, which encourages more group discussion, engagement and so on.
While the head said he could not answer many questions as the government just hasn't provided how the cancelled gcses will be assessed (we do mostly igsce but some gcse), he said if they told teachers to just assign a grade without assessments he would consider moving from igcse to gcse as it would not be fair for some children to sit igcse exams (and may do worse or better than expected on the day) while others (gcse takers) do not have to do any. But if there is a robust system requiring some assessments (exams) which will be externally checked for marking consistency between schools, then it may be better to go ahead with the exams, and for the moment he will have teachers continue to teach as if exams were to be held (the students need to know the syllabus at any rate).
In one sense those actually sitting exams wil have the satisfaction of validation of their grade. And also the knowledge that they are fully prepared for studying their subjects at A level, as those missing out on certain content at GCSE level may struggle. But it has created confusion and stress, and it is shocking that the government, who must have realised the possibility of exams being cancelled, have not already got a plan B.
It seems the government are not aware that a significant number of students take alternate exams, including those older children taking Btecs and the IB instead of A Levels (which should also go ahead according to that exam board).

Sadly pipandmum we had two given grades last year, I don’t feel it was fairly done and very little scrutiny of some local schools who suddenly had 50% higher pass rates

DD came of well but I know DS was not as lucky with one of his grades in a standard secondary school

Interhigh have in my opinion been very robust in their approach to gathering evidence since September but the kids have mocks this week and all this uncertainty is distracting for them

Am led to believe that schools will be asked to take a survey if they want exams to go ahead on Thurs14th Jan

The cynic in me thinks that exam boards are businesses and that they'll want to retain customers and so will go with popular opinion / individual choice.

Worked for AQA for many years.

Still have a very anxious 16 year old who has been told to go ahead assuming exams so who knows ?

Received this message from Pearson Edexcel via Twitter today:

Hi International GCSEs and A levels are used by students around the world and, as such, the 2021 examination series will be going ahead.
In recognition of the disruption that students have experienced in this unprecedented year, in terms of setting standards and grading, we intend to carry forward the generosity from May/June 2020 grades to the future 2021 exam series.
We are conscious that many students who are due to sit International GCSE and International A level exams in 2021 will be switching to remote learning in line with new national guidance. Where this is the case, students should attend school to sit examinations in the normal way, provided that their school , centre, or college feels able to deliver the exams.

At this time, our intention is to run the 2021 series for International GCSE and International A levels, as planned.

We consulted with schools at the end of last year to understand which contingency arrangements would be most valued for international qualifications. Based on school feedback, we would like to confirm that Advance Notice will be added to the measures we are making available for International GCSE and International A levels to support schools and students. Advance Notice provides information about the topics included in exams to help teachers and students focus their revision.

We understand that the exceptional circumstances schools are facing around the world mean that it may be inevitable that individual candidates or whole cohorts cannot sit some or all the exams due to local and regional restrictions.

Where this is the case, we advise to contact your exam centre, school, or college. If you feel you are unable to travel or are worried about sitting your exam you should also contact your centre, school, or college.
We have brought in measures to assist schools and centres where they are unable to deliver exams, this includes providing special considerations to be applied to award a grade where possible or rescheduling the exam to a future exam series. You should discuss your options with your centre, school, or college.

Have they made this 'public' or official as yet?

It’s on their website.. I feel like only way they will shift in this position is if private schools in UK put lots of pressure on them to cancel- to cancel for same reasons GCSEs were - because kids have been out of school and will be under prepared for exams even if schools are open and technically able to run them in the summer. So pressure has to be put on them from schools in uk which run them. What are your DDs schools saying?

@Muckedip55

Could you link to it. I can't see the same one linked above from Twitter.

qualifications.pearson.com/en/campaigns/pearson-covid-19/united-kingdom-covid-19-coronavirus-update.html

It’s all a bit buried but in here.. says same thing that they will go ahead..

I don't think private schools will put pressure on to stop the exams... they want them to go ahead. I think it will need to be the government stepping in to stop them. I think the inequality between private and state will force them to.

My daughter seems to think the grade boundaries for this year's Cambridge A levels are sky high and people expecting As are getting Ds and Es. There are a couple of comments on their FB page, but nothing else to suggest this is the case. Anyone know anything?

@SusannaSpider

My daughter seems to think the grade boundaries for this year's Cambridge A levels are sky high and people expecting As are getting Ds and Es. There are a couple of comments on their FB page, but nothing else to suggest this is the case. Anyone know anything?

Dd is predicted an A in English lit a level (Cambridge) so i bloody hope not!