Update on June & November 2022 exams – 29 April 2022

29 Apr 2022

Our June 2022 series has now begun! Most of our schools around the world are running exams in this series, and we know that teachers will be supporting learners as they make their final preparations. We wish all our learners the very best.

A small proportion of schools have been moved to our Portfolio of Evidence route because local or national restrictions meant that they could not run exams. If your school is using this route for June 2022, you will have already received a direct communication from us, clearly explaining what you need to do. If you have not received an email from us, your school has not switched to portfolio of evidence and is running exams. We will be sending out regular updates to schools using portfolio of evidence over coming weeks, so please check your email for these.

This week, you can find updates on running exams and using portfolios of evidence in June 2022:

June 2022: Running exams

Reminder: component exemptions – deadline approaching

If you have approved component exemptions, you must tell us which candidates you would like to exempt from which component(s). You can do this until 1 May 2022 (at 23:59 UTC+1) via the 'Covid-19 Exemptions' area on Cambridge International Direct.

It is extremely important you complete this step, otherwise your candidates cannot use their exemptions.

How do I submit my candidate details?

1. Log in to Direct.
2. Select the ‘Covid-19 Exemptions’ tab.
3. Submit your candidates’ details. A step-by-step guide and list of frequently asked questions will be available on our website from 18 April.
4. Make sure you submit your candidates' details by 1 May 2022.

Standards and grading in June 2022

We will align the standard of our qualifications to the standard of similar qualifications in England. For Cambridge International qualifications, this means we will aim for our exam standard to return to the pre-pandemic standard in June 2023. For June 2022, November 2022 and March 2023, we will set standards at a midpoint between 2019 and 2021.

This means our June 2022 grades will be generous compared to our June 2019 grades, and less generous than our June 2021 grades.

You may receive questions from candidates and their families – we have produced a factsheet about our exams and standards that you can share with them.

June 2022: Portfolio of evidence

Post-results services and appeals

We know many of you have questions about the post-results services that will be available for the portfolio of evidence route. We have added details of all the post-results services to our website, plus a supplement to the Cambridge Handbook ‘Guidance on enquiries about results and appeals for the portfolio of evidence route’.

Carry forwards – important information about Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics (9709) and Further Mathematics (9231)

If we move you to the portfolio of evidence route, we will automatically move ‘best of both’ candidates to the staged entry option. If you have any candidates entered for Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics (9709) and/or Further Mathematics (9231) there may be more than one possible staged entry option suitable for your candidate(s). We have added information about this, and the steps you may need to take, on pages 4–5 of the ‘Carry forward within the portfolio of evidence route’ guide. Please contact us at info@cambridgeinternational.org if you have any questions.

Portfolio of evidence – regular updates

If we have switched your school to the portfolio of evidence route, we will be emailing you a regular portfolio of evidence update during this exam series. It will follow the same structure as our main exams officer eNews and highlight all the key pieces of information, plus any deadlines you need to be aware of. We will send you the first update in early May.

Frequently asked questions

Thank you to those who attended our webinar on portfolio of evidence on 21 April. You can watch a recording of the webinar.

Can we use a phone to scan evidence for the portfolio of evidence?

Yes. As long as the images are clear, this is fine.

Can teachers access Submit for Assessment, or only the Exams Officer?

You should have a delegated Submit for Assessment administrator in your centre - this may be your Exams Officer, or it could be someone else. This person can manage and set up accounts for other colleagues at your centre. Teachers should have an account set up with the ‘Submit Teacher’ role.

Is it possible to get feedback from Cambridge International in advance about whether the three pieces of evidence we are submitting are appropriate?

We cannot give feedback to schools about the pieces of evidence to include in the portfolio. The evidence included is at your discretion. There is no requirement for the three pieces of evidence to be a direct match to the exam components in the syllabus. You can choose any three pieces of work which meet the criteria in our guidance, and which give broad coverage of the syllabus content and assessment objectives.

Can we apply for special consideration for portfolios of evidence?

If you think illness or other adverse personal circumstances that are outside the candidate’s control might have temporarily affected performance at the time they completed a particular piece of evidence (for example, the candidate was unwell on the day when mock exams were completed), you should replace the affected piece of evidence with another piece of evidence if this is possible.

If you are not able to replace an affected piece of evidence you should submit a ‘present for the exam but disadvantaged’ special consideration application. You can find more details about special consideration in the Cambridge Handbook.

Please note that special consideration – absent for an acceptable reason is not available to candidates on the portfolio of evidence route.

Cambridge International AS & A Level (9715) is A Level only, does this mean we need to submit six pieces of evidence in total?

Yes. Our guidance explains that the staged assessment route is not possible in all subjects e.g. AS and A Level languages. In these cases, candidates entered for the A Level will need to provide six pieces of evidence in a single portfolio of evidence.

November 2022: Running exams

Guidance on components, component adjustments and exemptions

We can confirm that guidance on components, component adjustments and component exemptions will all be available in November 2022. We will publish more details of the available adjustments and exemptions in May – these will be broadly the same as June 2022, except where a syllabus is not available in the November series.

• Component exemptions mean that candidates can still receive an overall syllabus grade, even if they can’t take a component they are entered for.
• 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).

Special consideration

Special consideration is a post-exam adjustment that we make to a candidate's mark. We do this to make allowances for some adverse circumstances - for example: illness, bereavement, temporary injury or disruption to an exam.

Will the expanded special consideration process be available in November 2022?

Yes. We are again expanding our special consideration process for candidates who unexpectedly, for an acceptable reason, miss some components they were entered for. As long as these candidates have taken at least one eligible component in the exam series, they can receive a grade. This is a temporary measure in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Eligible components are components taken in the exam series and which count towards the syllabus grade.
• Carry-forward components and components that do not have a weighting, e.g. an endorsed component, are not eligible.
• For Cambridge International A Levels, candidates must take at least one A Level component (A2 Level component) in the exam series to be awarded an A Level grade. Candidates who have taken only AS Level components will receive an AS Level grade.
• We cannot calculate an assessed mark for a component that does not have a weighting, e.g. an endorsed component, if a candidate is absent for this component for an acceptable reason.

Withdrawals

You can withdraw entries until 25 November 2022 (seven days after the end of the exam series) and you will receive a credit for the syllabus fee. Until 21 September 2022 you can withdraw candidates on Direct. After this date you need to contact us so we can arrange the withdrawal and credit for you: info@cambridgeinternational.org

We generate invoices weekly and recommend you pay for the entries you know you have made within normal payment terms and the credit will follow.

Cambridge Checkpoint (October 2022 test series)

You can withdraw entries until 21 October 2022 (seven days after the end of the test series) and you will receive a credit for the syllabus fee. Until 16 September 2022 you can withdraw candidates on Direct. After this date you need to contact us so we can arrange the withdrawal and credit for you: info@cambridgeinternational.org

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.