14 Jan 2022
We know that the state of the Covid-19 pandemic is very different in countries around the world. Some schools are expecting exams to go ahead as normal in 2022, while others are asking us for more information about our contingency options in case of school closures and government restrictions.
In this update you can find information for whichever situation you are in, including:
- Important information about results release for the November 2021 series
- An update on entries and withdrawals for June 2022
- Guidance on running exams in June 2022: component exemptions, adjustments, and special consideration
- New and updated guidance on our contingency option for June 2022 where exams cannot go ahead
To help you find the right information for your school, our content is divided by exam series. We also show where content is ‘new’ to help you quickly find what you need.
November 2021 exams
Congratulations to all our schools and candidates who have received Cambridge International AS & A Level results from the November 2021 series this week, particularly given the continuing challenges of the pandemic.
Results release
We plan to release Cambridge IGCSE and O Level results on 18 January 2022 at 06.00 UTC*
*UTC is Coordinated Universal Time and is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time.
Enquiries about results
If you ran exams and would like us to check your candidates’ results, you can submit enquiries about results as usual through Direct. The deadline is 26 February 2022.
We deal with enquiries in the order we receive them and we aim to tell you the outcome within 30 days. Thank you for your patience, and for working with us in these challenging times.
Enquiries about results are not available for component exemptions. You can find details of which candidates you have exempted from which component(s) by checking the spreadsheet you submitted to us as part of your component exemption application.
Find out more about enquiries about results.
Post-results checks
If you submitted school-assessed grades, post-results checks are available so you can ask us to check candidates’ grades if needed. The deadline for requesting a post-results check is 26 February 2022.
There are more details about post-results checks on our website.
Entries and withdrawals for June 2022
Please submit your entries to us by the deadlines below, or earlier wherever possible.
Due to the pandemic, there are still challenges in making sure you receive question papers and other important exam material on time – the earlier we receive your entries the sooner we can despatch your materials.
- Final entries deadline: 21 February 2022
- Late entries deadline: 17 April 2022
After 21 February, any new entries or changes you make to your entry options are subject to late entry fees, but you can still amend your candidate information, without charge, until the late entries deadline on 17 April. See section 2.4 of the Cambridge Handbook for our full entry regulations.
To support you through the pandemic we have extended our withdrawal deadline so you can withdraw some or all of your candidates until 17 June 2022 (at 23:59 UTC) and you will receive a full credit. Until 17 April you can withdraw candidates yourself, using Direct. After this date you can withdraw entries by contacting us directly at info@cambridgeinternational.org and we will arrange the withdrawal and credit for you.
We generate invoices weekly and we recommend you pay for the entries you have made within normal payment terms and the credit will follow.
June 2022: Where exams can go ahead
We know that the Covid-19 situation may present difficulties for schools running exams. To help your students receive their grades, we offer a range of options for schools in the June 2022 series. We have told you about this in our previous updates, but we want to make sure you know where to find our latest guidance – and how your school can apply.
Don’t forget: you can find guidance on component exemptions, adjustments, and special consideration on the June 2022 section of our website
Component exemptions mean that candidates can still receive an overall syllabus grade, even if they can’t take a component they are entered for.
Find out how component exemptions work, which components they are available for, and how you can apply.
Component adjustments allow candidates to take a component in a way that is easier to manage (they produce a reduced amount of work for that component).
Find out what adjustments are available and how to apply
Special consideration means that candidates who unexpectedly miss some components can receive a grade if they have taken at least one eligible component in the series.
Find out which components are eligible and how to apply
June 2022: Where exams can’t take place (portfolio of evidence)
Updated: Guidance for collecting a portfolio of evidence
We have updated our guidance for Collecting a portfolio of evidence for the June 2022 series in response to queries from schools.
The guidance now confirms that, if lessons in your school are under one hour in duration, candidates can complete pieces of work for the portfolio over two lessons. The updated guidance also clarifies some syllabus-specific requirements, including what evidence to gather for modern foreign language exams and how to approach syllabuses with a separate speaking or speaking and listening endorsement.
Finally, the document now includes additional guidance for collecting evidence for a range of specific syllabuses, listed in Appendices A and B. We hope this is helpful and answers any questions you may have.
New: Information for parents and students
To support you if you need to move to the portfolio of evidence approach, we have published guidance for schools to share with their students and parents. This guidance explains what the portfolio of evidence is, what it can include, and how pieces of work in the portfolio will be marked by Cambridge International examiners. We hope you find this useful.
New: Timetable for submitting portfolios of evidence
We can now share a full timetable of submission deadlines for every syllabus eligible for the portfolio of evidence route to grades.
The timetable for submitting portfolios of evidence and their accompanying Rationale Documents is aligned with the exam timetable for June 2022, so that we can mark them at the same time.
If your school switches to portfolio of evidence, you will be able to submit the portfolios from 2 May 2022. As you will see in the timetable, many portfolios of evidence will need to be submitted to us by 18 May. Syllabuses examined later in the series have later submission deadlines.
In addition to this full timetable, we will create a tool which will draw up a submissions timetable just for your school, giving the deadline for each of your syllabuses.
Find out more about portfolio of evidence: Book your place at our next exam officer webinar
We are running a free webinar which will cover the latest guidance on our portfolio of evidence approach, and the June 2022 series in general. You will also have chance to ask questions. You can register now using the links below:
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.