Lockdown in England: GCSE, A-Level exams in UAE could be cancelled; school heads await official decision

Principals of UK-curriculum schools in Dubai on Tuesday said there could be a review of whether to overhaul or scrap GCSE and A-Level exams this year as they await final instructions from the exam regulator.

This comes after the UK entered its third national lockdown since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, from January 4 until February 15. Many feel this would lead to the final exams being cancelled this year, with all schools and colleges in England being ordered to close.

In a national address, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said ‘it’s not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer as normal’. “The Education Secretary will work with [UK exam regulator] Ofqual to put in place alternative arrangements.”

With the uncertainty surrounding the exams, school principals in the UAE called for calm and explained how students should view these developments.

Matthew Tompkins, principal and CEO of GEMS Firstpoint School Villa, said: “Plans are in place for our children. For now, our message and focus is clear that the students need to be attending school, working hard, and showing their best ability.”

Further updates from the exam boards shall come in in due time, he added. “We will strive to maintain complete transparency with our student community, so that we can all be as informed and prepared as possible during these times. The school is working incredibly hard to protect its students and do what is fair and what is right.”

While the January series of examinations for international syllabus subjects will continue, school heads noted that “there is the question of whether these may well be the last examination this academic year”.

Brendon Fulton, principal at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park, said: “My understanding from what is reported in the UK Press is that GCSE and A-Level exams will not go ahead this year. However, we will have to wait for formal confirmation of this from Ofqual. There will then also need to be a decision on whether international GCSE and A-Level exams take place, as these aren’t regulated by Ofqual. They would, however, normally follow the direction from Ofqual.”

This could mean thousands of pupils in the UAE would be evaluated on school-assessed grades for the second year in a row, they said. School heads in the country are, therefore, urging UK authorities to make a swift decision to eliminate uncertainty and prevent a repeat of last year’s scenario.

“I welcome this announcement from the UK government as it is now clear that there can never be a level playing field for all. This will allow schools, with the support of the exam boards, to work towards honest and fair grades that reflect the relative effort of each student. My only request would be that they provide the forthcoming guidance as soon as possible. We are waiting for confirmation of the process, but we expect that schools will once again provide assessment grades for students in the absence of formal exams,” added Fulton.

More than 300,000 pupils are reportedly studying in British-curriculum schools in the UAE. As they press for an early decision, principals are currently focusing on developing a pupil’s academic record.

Kelvin Hornsby, GEMS Cluster Lead, and CEO/principal of GEMS Cambridge International School, Abu Dhabi, said: “We are already working closely with the examination awarding bodies and have meetings scheduled this week and next. However, if examinations do not take place and centre-assessed grades are used, we develop a portfolio for each student encompassing prior examination attainment, numerous mock examination results, teacher-assessed work, oral/verbal examinations and project work that are all moderated both internally and externally across GEMS Education. We are prepared for all eventualities.”