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...

It's just the way her school does it, I don't want to identify my location. It's not unusual to do it this way though, she has friends at English schools who do the same.
The school feels it gives them 2 chances, it's a bit stressful though, especially this year.

Science is "co-ordinated science", it's worth 2 iGCSEs.

Yes! I bet it’s stressful. At least she now had 3 under her belt.

We've been updated. The DfE and Ofqual consultation on the views of students parents and carers’ about how grades should be awarded in summer 2021 is now underway. Submissions to the DfE and Ofqual need to be made by Friday 29 January at 11.45pm. Link is
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/953000/6743-1_GCSE__AS_and_A_level_grades_should_be_awarded_in_summer_2021.pdf

Not an update re iGCSEs or iA-levels as these aren’t included in this consultation as they are not part of ofqual’s jurisdiction. This consultation has been open to comments since Friday, which are being discussed on ‘exams cancelled’ thread if you’re interested in the regular exam series.

I think dcs who are doing exams should be able to go to school. Now the government have cancelled A levels and GCSES they will be complacent about schools reopening. Neatly forgetting that there is a whole section of dcs who are still doing exams

How will that work frodont? You want teachers to teach iGCSEs in class but GCSEs and regular exam years & other year groups online plus keyworker children & vulnerable children in class?

I don’t think schools are very safe whilst numbers are so high. It’d be putting both staff & kids at risk. Why do igcse students need to be in school more than other exam years?

@NotDonna

I don’t think schools are very safe whilst numbers are so high. It’d be putting both staff & kids at risk. Why do igcse students need to be in school more than other exam years?

Because they have exams. If online teaching is good enough to take igcses with, then it should have been good enough to take gcses with.

I think this just highlights the unfairness of expecting uk kids to sit iGCSEs when being taught online and GCSEs cancelled for that very same reason

Hadn’t thought of it like that frodont. You make a good point.

But it's not the government who decides about international exams. But now that Wales has decided against any assessments and are just going with a similar system as last year, do you think that England will follow suit? Then there will be even more inequity between those who have to sit exams and those who will get a teacher assigned grade with little accountability (I'm sure the majority of teachers will try and be as fair as possible, but they will generally grade on a 'best day' basis and give any borderline student the benefit if the doubt, an advantage which those sitting exams will not have. Can the UK government override the Cambridge and Pearson boards?

pipandmum There’s an interesting article in TES by a deputy head (David James) from a London school highlighting the disparities if iGCSEs go ahead. He mentions that the exam boards have basically said ‘we’ll offer exams but it’s up to your schools to be in line with government restrictions’. He also highlights the risk of an exam sitting becoming a superspreader event, plus a number of other issues. I’ll try and find a link to it, but you may need to register to read it.

www.tes.com/author/david-james
It’s the top one about IB exams but includes iGCSEs. He’s deputy head at LEH.

www.tes.com/news/exams-gcses-alevels-teacher-grades-assessed-issues-government-coronavirus
Nor are teacher assessments without issue.

I teach igce. They are still saying they're going ahead who knows!

We’ve had an email from school today saying ‘business as usual’. They aren’t doing mocks as they’ve no idea when they’ll be back in school and there’s issues of fairness etc if online. They do a mix of iGCSEs & GCSEs. They’ve also said there’ll be no discussions regarding likely teacher grades etc. We’ve parents eve next week and usually they would be discussing the results of Xmas/January mocks (which didn’t happen), predicted grades and what they need to do. What on Earth will they discuss then?

DD has mocks the day she goes back. We have a tentative date for school return. I'm sick of the whole bloody thing now, the school keeps putting them under so much pressure. They've been told they have to do well in their mocks because they could be used to assess grades, then they are being piled up with online work, because that could also be used for assessment, but on the other hand completing the online work has also to be done, as they haven't finished the course if they sit exams. There is no time to revise for mocks and complete the coursework elements of some of the exams. The teachers are being totally unsupportive.
So, so sick of it, DD has been so upset with the stress of it today. I'm actually thinking they would be better off sitting the exams, if they don't then it will be months and months of constant pressure.

That’s harsh susannah
I’m so surprised they’ve given you a return date when nothing has been announced by govt.

Dd has mocks in March. She's done 3 essays this week already with another one due on Monday.

Here's an extract from an update published by CIE today:-

"We are monitoring very carefully proposals from the Department for Education and Ofqual about alternative arrangements for awarding results for the June 2021 series in England. After the Ofqual consultation closes at the end of January, we will give more details if necessary about how we respond.

In the meantime, we will continue to keep schools and students updated, and continue to plan to offer exams for our June 2021 series where it is safe and permitted to do so"

So, at the moment the plan remains to run the exam series in June 2021.

I think that will be abandoned by March at the latest. Anyone else have a similar view?

I think they are sitting so firmly on the fence that they will need tweezers to get the splinters from their arse. Lots of talk about payment too 🙄 Do I care about their bottom line...erm no.
I just think they need to cancel, they are being so unfair to so many students, the stress is bloody awful for our teens, and the families that have to live with them.
I hope our school bloody ditches them all together in future years. Unfortunately DD's A level options are mainly Cambridge.
We've had a bad day, can you tell?.

Sorry today had been rubbish susanna hope you have a better weekend. I’m sure schools will be rethinking their exam board options.

chng.it/ST6kyCYspc
There’s a petition requesting their cancellation

Not signing that as hate the language used!