Examinations scheduled between 30 April and 22 May 2020 will no longer be held. The IB intends to release results to universities and schools as planned on 5 July.

• All student coursework and associated predicted grades will need to be uploaded by 20 April, if not sooner, to guarantee delivery of results by 5 July.
• Students will be able to do retakes. If the current May session students would like to sit exams in the November session, IB would welcome it, and therefore they are prepared for that eventuality.
• The student will be awarded either a diploma or a course certificate which reflects their standard of work.
• The achievement will be based around the students’ coursework and the established assessment expertise.

IB will be using vast historical assessment data to ensure that they follow a rigorous process of due diligence in what is a truly unprecedented situation. They will be undertaking significant data analysis from previous exam sessions, individual school data, subject data as well as comparative data of schools who have already completed uploading requirements and those who have not. IB will require schools to submit the coursework for all candidates.

IB will externally mark work that is usually marked by teachers, instead of taking samples and applying moderation.

They will use a calculation that is based on the relationship between coursework marks, predicted grades and subject grades to estimate the subject grades candidates would have received if the exams had gone ahead.

If the relationship between these elements shows that in previous sessions candidates globally tended to achieve higher outcomes on their exams than their coursework, the calculation used this session will reflect that.

At a subject level, students will be awarded a grade on the normal IB 1-7 scale. Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the Extended Essay and the Career-Related Programme Reflective Project will be awarded a grade on the normal IB A-E scale. The DP core will be awarded on the normal IB 0-3 scale. A total points score will be awarded for the Diploma, out of 45 as normal.

The IB is communicating with universities globally about the current situation and will continue to do so. Further details will be available shortly.

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To see how Gabbitas can advise you on the best next steps to help in these circumstances please contact us by emailing info@gabbitas.com or call one of our consultants on 0207 734 0161.

What can I expect from the new system being introduced by the UK Government?

The UK government have announced that this year’s GCSE, AS and A level exams have been cancelled. As a result, grades will now be awarded based on a student’s performance in mock exams and other non-exam assessment data available to teachers.

How will this work in practice?

Using the following:

• Non-exam assessment/coursework (complete or incomplete)
• Homework
• Mock exams
• Any other records of student performance over the course of study
• Any records of performance in subjects such as PE, Music and Drama
• Recent and relevant public exam and external testing such AS-level grades, BMAT/UCAT which can also be included in the evidence.

Teachers will use their professional experience to make a fair and objective judgement of the grade they believe a student would have achieved had they sat their exams this year. The final grades awarded in each subject will be internally moderated by the relevant departmental staff at the school.

How will my grades be finalised?

Schools have been asked to rank students in order of performance in each grade and subject and will submit these to the relevant exam boards.

The Exam Boards will then standardise the results by comparing grades between schools and colleges to achieve fairness overall.

How the schools have performed historically will also be considered.

Therefore, the grade predicted from the school may be adjusted up or down by the exam board.

Schools will have until 29 May 2020 at the earliest to submit grades to the exam boards, and probably up until 12 June 2020 according to the guidance to date.

As a result, students have a window of opportunity in the next few weeks to maximise their academic potential by evidencing progress and attainment through the timely completion of classwork, homework and other tasks set by their teachers. 

As of now (but it may change) students will receive their grades by mid-August if not earlier.

Appeals and Autumn Exams

Students who feel that their grades from the summer do not reflect their ability will have the opportunity to take their exams in an Autumn series of exams yet to be finalised or in summer 2021.

Keep in mind:

• It is unsure how the ‘appeal’ procedure will work for students who do not agree with their final grades.
• Universities have yet to confirm how the papers sat this Autumn will be judged but one leading university has already confirmed that these written papers will not be considered as ‘resits’ and students will not be at a disadvantage.

Overseas student guidelines

UKVI have not yet changed their visa requirements (Tier 4 General) regarding IELTS.  As soon as centres reopen, students will be asked to take IELTS.

• In mainland China and Hong Kong the IELTS centres are re-opening.

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To see how Gabbitas can advise you on the best next steps to help in these circumstances, contact us by emailing info@gabbitas.com or call one of our consultants on 0207 734 0161

If you have a child waiting for exam results this summer, this is likely to be an anxious time for your family. So how do you steady your child’s nerves and prepare them for the big day?

Below is a list of 7 Essential Steps to help you through results week, which you will find especially useful if your child is hoping to attend a UK university.

1. Take care of contact details

UCAS, the university admissions system, should already have your child’s contact details on file. But they advise all candidates to log into their website to check this in advance.

 

2. Check the notification process

How is the university expecting to receive your child’s results? If exams were taken in school, there’s no problem – UCAS will send the results through automatically. But if your child is an independent candidate, not linked to a school, they should read through their UCAS notes to see if they need to contact the university directly.

 

3. Talk to the school

Make sure you know how – and when – results will be delivered. Is your child expected to visit the school, or log into Track, or will they be notified via post or email? If you’re unsure, someone needs to check with the school.

 

4. Don’t make plans for the day

As soon as the results are out, your child may need to act quickly – whether they’re accepting an offer, going through Clearing or (worst case) arranging re-sits. Sometimes there’s a very narrow window for taking action, so make sure they spend the day somewhere with a reliable Wi-Fi or phone signal.

 

5. Discuss your child’s next move 

Since their exams, they’ve had time to reflect on where they go from here. So set aside an hour now to talk it through. What happens if they get the grades, and what happens if they don’t? It’s best to do this before the results are in , while everyone can be objective.

 

6. Take their mind off university

This might be the most stressful event of your child’s life so far – and as the date approaches, the uncertainty can be agonising. So if you can, take some time out as a family to do something fun. Things are about to get hectic, so enjoy this time while you can.

 

7. Become the voice of hope

If your child is disappointed with their results, it doesn’t mean all is lost. They’ll still have options, including a good chance of finding a place through clearing. Even so, it might be hard for them to stay positive – so be ready with a few choice words that offer a fresh perspective.