Guernsey students might miss exams again this year due to UK lockdown

Tuesday 05 January 2021

Bailiwick students are likely to be bound by the decisions that UK exam boards make regarding the 2021 series of exams, following the announcement that GCSE and A Level examinations in England would not be going ahead.

Laurie Baker, Eduction Sport and Culture's Strategic Education Advisor, said the committee will take "every action possible" to ensure students are not disadvantaged in terms of their outcomes, regardless of how they are assessed in the coming year.

"Bailiwick students sit many of the same exams, with the same exam boards, as their counterparts in England," said Ms Baker.

"So we are almost certainly going to be bound by the directions they give, and the subsequent arrangements that our awarding organisations for GCSE, A-Level, IB, technical and vocational qualifications provide."

Pictured: "We will make sure our students and their families are informed of the final situation as soon as possible," said Ms Baker.

Guernsey students have been able to attend school with minimal restrictions since June, but due to the pandemic's impact on the UK, Bailiwick students were unable to sit GCSE and A-Level exams last Summer, and they were assessed through means such as coursework and an evaluation of mock results and classwork.

The UK has recently entered a new national lockdown, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to last until the middle of February.

Pictured top: "At this stage, we have to wait for further guidance to be issued by exam boards", said Ms Baker.