Will GCSE and A-Levels be delayed in 2021?
EXAMS in England have been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but A-Levels and GCSE students received a calculated grade instead.
But how will exams be affected in 2021? Here's what we know so far.
Will GCSE and A-Levels be delayed in 2021?
Students heading into Year 11 and Year 13 will have to sit exams in 2021 despite having missed out on nearly half a year of face-to-face teaching.
The government said it is considering a “possible short delay to the exam timetable” in England next year with the aim of creating more teaching time.
This could help students catch up with learning after teaching was disrupted during the coronavirus crisis.
No official decision has been made yet on whether to delay exams until later in the summer.
Ofqual said schools in England will be offered a choice of topics for pupils to be examined on in GCSE English and history next year, but the exam regulator said it needs more time to analyse the possibility of a delay.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We recognise that students due to take exams next summer will have experienced disruption to their education, which is why we prioritised bringing Year 10 and Year 12 pupils back to school last term.
"Exams will go ahead next year, and we have been working closely with the sector, Ofqual and exam boards to consider our approach."
When will they be delayed until?
If delayed, exams may be pushed back to either June or July 2021.
Many headteachers are calling for exams to be moved from May to July to give students time to catch up.
David Benson, head of Kensington Aldridge Academy, said: “I support moving the 2021 exams back.
"The timing of the exams was raised in the consultation Ofqual did, but in their consultation response document they said they are yet to reach a decision.
"It would be helpful if they could confirm the timing soon.
“The extra teaching weeks would help if the exams were June/July 2021, instead of May/June, and I imagine other heads feel the same.”
Why are Labour calling from them to be delayed?
Labour is calling for next year's GCSEs and A-Levels to be delayed in order to help pupils cope with the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
Kate Green, the shadow education secretary, said the two sets of exams should be pushed back by at least a month and begin in June rather than May.
She said: "Pupils across the country who have missed out on vital teaching time will have a mountain to climb to prepare for May exams unless the government steps in.
"Ministers had warning after warning about problems with this year’s exam results, but allowed it to descend into a fiasco.
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"This is too important for Boris Johnson to leave until the last minute.
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"Pupils heading back to school need clarity and certainty about the year ahead."
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said the proposal was "worthy of serious consideration".
