IB Exams "Cancelled For All UK Students"

The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) has cancelled all IB exams in the UK. Students at more than 120 independent schools in the UK have been told they will not sit their exams in May 2021 - and they're likely to receive grades based on teacher assessments instead.

Last week, the IBO announced a Dual Route Model for students due to take the Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme examinations in May. Schools could choose between written examinations, where they can be administered safely, or an alternative route using a combination of internal assessment coursework and teacher-predicted grades, where the normal examination process is not possible.

This decision did not extend to the UK but the IBO has now decided to cancel exams due to the current situation and school closures.

An IBO spokesperson said:

“The IB has today written to schools to inform them of our decision not to hold examinations in the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man following active and positive discussions with Ofqual throughout the past week.

"This decision has been taken on the basis that local examinations have also been cancelled for students in the UK and because for many schools in the UK it is very unlikely that examinations will be able to be administered due to ongoing disruption.

“We intend that the results of students in the UK should be awarded using coursework marks and predicted grades for the May 2021 session, as described in the awarding model outlined two weeks ago.

"However, we cannot confirm this until the end of Ofqual’s technical consultation,” the board added.

The latest news from the IBO means that all IB, GCSE and A Level exams are now cancelled for UK students – for the second year running.

The UK government has cancelled all GCSE and A Level exams, and international GCSEs and A Levels have been cancelled by exam boards Pearson EdExcel and AQA; this affects students in the UK and worldwide.

However, there are some countries where students will still sit their IB, IGCSE and International A Level exams. Cambridge plans to continue with IGCSEs and International A/AS Levels in May/June "where it is permitted and safe”; in countries including the UK, where schools are currently closed, Cambridge exams are most likely to be replaced with teacher assessed grades. And, as mentioned above, the IBO is offering schools outside of the UK the option to sit exams.