KARACHI: After Pakistan, Cambridge International has announced that they will not hold their international examinations in the May/June 2020 series in any country.

This includes Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge O Level, Cambridge International AS & A Level, Cambridge AICE Diploma and Cambridge Pre-U.

According to an official notification, the examination body decided to take drastic steps after reviewing the situation with Covid-19 outbreak and how it was changing rapidly.

“In recent days, many more countries have decided to extend school closures into May and June, making it impossible for many of our schools to hold examinations,” the notification read.

“We have been consulting closely with our global community of schools, who need as much certainty as possible at an uncertain time. Our priority is to protect the safety and wellbeing of our students and teachers, ensure fairness for all our students and support them in continuing with their education.

“Today, therefore, we have taken the difficult decision not to run our international examinations in the May/June 2020 series in any country. We recognise that students have been working very hard towards these exams. We will be working with schools to assess students’ achievements using the best available evidence. Students will receive a grade and a certificate from Cambridge International, given the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their programmes of study. This will ensure students do not face disadvantage as a result of these extraordinary circumstances.

“We will provide guidance to schools on how students will receive those grades. We are talking to universities worldwide, and they are factoring these unprecedented circumstances into admissions decisions, so students can continue with their education journeys as soon as possible.

“We are also aware of the impact the situation may have on student motivation and learning. Many of our schools are working hard to deliver teaching online to support their students’ learning. We will continue to offer a wide range of support and resources for schools, teachers and students on our dedicated pages on our website at www.cambridgeinternational.org

“We will provide an update for schools on Thursday 26 March and as regularly as possible. We know that schools will need clear guidance very soon, and we are working around the clock on how to deliver valuable outcomes to students in the many countries where we work,” the notification concluded.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2020