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Guidance from Cambridge international for Exam centres

Guidance from Cambridge international for Exam centres

We felt it would be useful to share the guidance from Cambridge International and they are dealing with grades for summer 2020 in this next exam blog.

This update contains guidance on the following matters: carrying forward results from Cambridge International qualifications including Cambridge International AS Level; Cambridge ICE extension; and more support for schools.

As ever, we would like to thank all our schools for the very helpful feedback, insight and support you continue to give us as we build our support and adapt our processes.

We know that schools are facing challenging circumstances and we continue to provide as much clarity as we can, as quickly as we can. Our priority continues to be making sure our actions protect students’ and teachers’ safety, and helping students obtain the fairest outcome possible, with the quality and integrity they would expect from Cambridge International.

We expect to send our next update for schools on Tuesday 28 April 2020.

Carrying forward Cambridge International AS Level results from the June 2020 series

In the June 2020 series, Cambridge International will award grades to students for each syllabus in which they have been entered. These grades have the same currency and value as grades we award in any other series in any other year. On 7 April, we published the process for awarding grades here.

One necessary change for June 2020 is that we will issue grades but not calculate marks. This does not affect the value of the qualification, because a grade is the standard outcome of our exams, and the outcome universities use to assess student applications.

For students who want to carry forward their Cambridge International AS Level result from June 2020 to a future Cambridge International A Level, we have looked at a specific technical challenge: it is the AS Level mark students normally carry forward, not the grade. In the absence of AS Level marks in June 2020, students will receive an AS Level grade but will not be able to carry forward their AS Level result to A Level in the usual way. Therefore, we have put in place alternative arrangements.

Students who enter for AS Level and receive a grade from the June 2020 series may choose to:

  • take only the second stage (A2) of the A Level in that subject in the November 2020 or June 2021 series, and receive an A Level grade based solely on their performance in A2*. In other words, we will consider that a candidate with an AS Level grade from June 2020 has met the requirement to complete the AS Level stage before obtaining an A Level grade. Candidates who withdraw from the June 2020 series will not have this option.

  • take all components of the A Level in a future series, and retain the AS Level from June 2020 as a standalone qualification, without carrying the result forward.

For example, if a student obtains a grade C in their AS Level in June 2020, takes A2 components in that subject in June 2021 and performs at the level of grade B, we will award them an A Level at grade B. By the same principle, if a student obtains a grade B in their AS Level in June 2020, takes A2 components in that subject in June 2021 and performs at the level of grade C, we will award them an A Level at grade C. If schools choose to withdraw entries from AS Level in June 2020 by 1 May, we will credit their account for a future series.

Carrying forward marks from a series before June 2019

Candidates with marks from a series before June 2019 will not be able to carry those marks forward to June 2020 or November 2020. This is in line with our usual 13-month rules for carry forwards.

Carrying marks forward from the June 2019 series

As previously stated, if a candidate has a June 2019 AS Level grade and enters for June 2020, the school can use the June 2019 grade to inform their predicted A Level grade in June 2020 series. If a candidate has a June 2019 AS Level grade, but wishes to take November 2020 A Level exams in the same syllabus, they can carry forward their June 2019 results in the following circumstances:

  • They were entered for the A Level syllabus in June 2020, irrespective of whether they were later withdrawn.

  • The syllabus has a carry forward entry option for that component.

This is an exemption from our usual 13-month rule.

We will provide you with the entry options for each syllabus that will allow June 2019 marks to be carried forward to November 2020.

Carrying forward non-examination work produced for June 2020 to November 2020

Candidates’ work prepared for non-examination assessments, such as coursework or speaking tests in the June 2020 series, may be submitted instead for the November 2020 series. This only applies where the component did not have pre-release materials or early exam stimulus materials that are unique to each exam series. Schools must make sure they have followed the guidance for non-examination assessments (Handbook, section 3.4).

This means you will not be able to submit work that was originally produced for June 2020, and which used unique June 2020 stimulus material or exam paper, for a November 2020 entry.

We will make a list of components that use materials unique to each exam series available in our FAQs. For these components, you will not be able to submit work which was originally produced for June 2020 for a November 2020 entry.

Examples of these components include, but are not limited to:

  • Cambridge IGCSE Art & Design syllabuses that have series-specific question papers released on the School Support Hub

  • Cambridge IGCSE Foreign Language syllabuses with confidential role play cards for the speaking component.

If the component does not have series-specific materials of this type, candidates can use the work they produce for the June 2020 series for a November 2020 entry.

Examples of these components include, but are not limited to:

  • Cambridge IGCSE speaking tests that do not use confidential role play cards, such as First Language English

  • many Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International A Level coursework components.

Cambridge ICE extension

This update concerns students for whom the June 2020 exam series would normally be the last series for which they can sit exams and gain their Cambridge ICE certificate.

As you know, Cambridge International will not hold exams in the June 2020 series in any country. Therefore, we will allow an exceptional exemption for Cambridge ICE students to the usual rule that candidates must complete all elements within 13 months.

The exemption will apply if:

  • the candidate was entered for June 2020 irrespective of whether or not they were subsequently withdrawn; and

  • June 2020 is the final series for the candidate for ICE (that is, they are also using syllabus grades from a previous series within the last 13 months).

If candidates meet these criteria, they can count grades awarded in the November 2020 OR June 2021 series. However, they must first discount any entries from June 2020 where they received a grade – in other words, they must withdraw from any June 2020 syllabuses they entered which are intended to count towards Cambridge ICE, and withdraw the Cambridge ICE entry before the issue of June 2020 certificates. If you do not want to use your June 2020 results, please contact us as soon as results are released.

This means candidates can wait to see their June 2020 results before deciding whether or not to withdraw their entries; and that we will accept in these circumstances withdrawals between the issue of provisional results and certification. In line with our normal process, re-takes will not be permitted to count towards Cambridge ICE.

It is still the case that the candidates may only use grades from a maximum of two series. All other rules relating to Cambridge ICE still apply.

Centres entering Cambridge IGCSE candidates for A*-G and 9-1 grade sets in the same subject

To ensure that the grades we award in June 2020 are as reliable as they can be, we will be drawing on as much historical data as we can. In the case of Cambridge IGCSE subjects where there are two syllabuses, one graded on the A*-G grade set and the other on the 9-1 grade set, we will be combining each centre’s data from both syllabuses. This combined data set will be used alongside other evidence, including predicted grades and rank orders, in the statistical standardisation process.

As a consequence of this use of combined data sets, we need all of your entries in any given Cambridge IGCSE subject to be either for the A*-G syllabus or for the 9-1 syllabus. You should not enter some candidates for one and other candidates for the other. If you currently have a mixture of entries in this way, please amend them by the deadline of 1 May 2020.