20 Aug 2021
Today’s update includes information on:
- June 2021 - a reminder of our post-results checks and appeals processes for schools who used school-assessed grades
- November 2021 - guidance on running exams, details on our next Exams Officer webinar, a reminder of deadlines for entries and withdrawals and information on carry forwards, component guidance, exemptions and adjustments
- June 2022 - we would appreciate your feedback on the June 2021 series if you have not already done so, and help us prepare for 2022 by answering our short survey.
June 2021
Post-results checks and appeals
We are running our usual post-results services for exams for the June 2021 series. We are also offering post-results checks and appeals services for centres that used school-assessed grades, so you can ask us to check your candidates’ grades. You can find all the guidance we have published so far on our website, including:
This guidance applies to Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge O Level and Cambridge International AS & A Level. You can find separate guidance for Cambridge Pre-U on our website.
November 2021
As we confirmed recently, we will run our November 2021 exam series as scheduled where it is safe and permitted to do so. All information and guidance on the November 2021 exam series will be published on our website.
For countries or regions within countries where directives from national or local authorities mean exams cannot take place in the November 2021 series, we will switch to school-assessed grades. We expect this to use the same assessment method we used for the June 2021 series, so would advise that schools start to think about their approach to gathering evidence for candidates. We plan to confirm whether there will be any differences in our approach to school-assessed grades for November 2021 next week.
In the meantime, we encourage students to continue to prepare for their examinations and non-examined components.
Supporting you to run exams in November 2021
We have a range of support and guidance available to support you as we move closer to the November series. Our guide to running exams, for exams officers and heads of centre, will help you run November 2021 exams safely and securely. Use this, as well as the guidance in our current Cambridge Handbook, when planning the exams in your centre.
Webinar - How to run exams for the November 2021 series
Wednesday 1 September 2021
We will be holding free webinars for exams officers who are running exams in November 2021. The webinars will provide detailed information on our exam regulations and provide information about managing your exams including dealing with the unexpected and what to do at the end of each exam. There is also an opportunity for you to ask us questions.
Have you made your entries for November 2021?
The first-time entry deadline for November 2021 has now passed. You can still make late entries until 21 September 2021, but you will be charged a late entry fee. Please make any late entries as soon as possible, so that we can get your question papers and other exam materials to you in time for the exams. Courier lead times are currently much longer than before the pandemic and we want to avoid the risk of exam materials not reaching schools on time – and this applies in particular to the Southeast Asia Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa regions.
Retake entries
Our deadline for retake entries is also 21 September. You can make retake entries until this date and will not be charged a late entry fee. However, we strongly recommend you also make any retake entries as soon as possible. The earlier we receive your entries the sooner we can send your exam materials, so please make retake entries as soon as you can. Remember to tick the ‘retake indicator’ box when making your entries on Direct.
What if I need to withdraw candidates?
We know many of you have concerns about making withdrawals. We would like to reassure you that you can withdraw some or all of your candidates until 25 November 2021 (at 23:59 UTC) and receive a full credit. To help you understand your withdrawal options, we have created this chart.
Until 21 September you can make withdrawals via Cambridge International Direct. We recommend that you keep your entries on Direct until as close to 21 September 2021 as possible, to reduce the administration work you may need to do if you withdraw candidates early and then re-enter them.
After 21 September, please contact us via email at info@cambridgeinternational.org and explain the reason for withdrawal. We will then arrange the withdrawal and credit, and you will not be charged a withdrawal fee. We generate invoices weekly. We recommend you pay for the entries you know you have made within normal payment terms and the credit will follow.
Understanding your routes to grades options – interactive guide
For the November 2021 series, you should try to deliver all exams, coursework, speaking and practical tests according to the syllabus requirements. However, we know that you are facing different challenges in managing teaching, learning and assessment for November 2021. On our website you can find an interactive guide that will help you understand the routes to grades options available for your candidates.
Component guidance, exemptions and adjustments
On our website you can find guidance for components or specific syllabuses that will help teachers and candidates adapt their teaching and learning around the disruption caused by Covid-19.
If a candidate is unable to complete a component, they can apply for a component exemption (also known as a Covid-19 exemption). This means candidates do not take the component but can still receive an overall syllabus grade. You must apply for permission to use component exemptions. You can apply for exemptions for the November 2021 series until 21 September 2021.
Candidates can also apply to use a component adjustment, where they take the component in a way that is easier to manage. You must apply for permission to use component adjustments by 21 September 2021, if you cannot prepare candidates fully because of Covid-19 disruption. On our website you can see the full list of syllabuses where component adjustments are available.
Carry forwards – interactive guide
We understand that many schools have questions about carrying forward marks. On our website you can find information on:
- Non-examination assessments
- Cambridge International AS & A Level qualifications
- Carrying forward June 2021 AS Level results to a future series
- Carrying forward June 2020 AS Level results to the June 2021 series
- Carrying forward June 2020 AS Level results to the November 2020 series.
You can also use our interactive guide to help you decide which entry option is right for your candidates.
Help us prepare for the June 2022 series
To inform our plans for June 2022, we would like to learn about the experiences of schools that entered candidates in the June 2021 series. We are also seeking feedback from all schools planning to enter candidates in June 2022 on a proposed portfolio of evidence model to replace exams if necessary.
If you haven’t already shared your experiences of using school-assessed grades with us, we encourage you to complete our survey to let us know what you think.
Stay in touch
View our latest updates on our Covid-19 information pages.
If you have any questions, you can review our frequently asked questions or contact us via the Help website.
For British Council Partner Schools or Cambridge Associate schools, please contact your local British Council representative or Cambridge Associate.