Dear Parents and Students,

We hope you are keeping well. This update is to explain our position in relation to Cambridge’s announcement last week that IGCSE, AS and A-Level exams for June 2021 will go ahead if governments permit and as long as it is safe.

ACADEMICS

Our teachers have been working tirelessly in a hybrid learning environment to ensure that the syllabus for all subjects is completed and there is sufficient time for revision and preparation. They are providing round-the-clock support so that students are well-positioned to write the Cambridge exams.

ASSESSMENTS

Face-to-face assessments were conducted during the first term exams. We will also be conducting a series of face-to-face mock exams if we are allowed to do so.

Unfortunately, teachers have noticed a wide discrepancy in the performance of some students in the face-to-face exams in comparison to their performance in the online assessments. This has given rise to serious concerns about the integrity of online assessments.

OPTIONS

We are exploring the option of conducting proctored exams enabled by Artificial Intelligence as a more foolproof method of ruling out the possibility of students cheating in online exams. Parents and students will be given prior notice about the expectations concerning proctored exams, if we feel that it is necessary to administer them.

COMPLEXITY

While we support the proposition that face-to-face exams are the most dependable and fairest method of assessing students, we also understand the extraordinary conditions created by the prevailing pandemic and the complexities that arise from preparing a large number of students to sit for a high-stakes, international board exam.

POSSIBILITY

So far, a situation where grades have to be predicted has not been anticipated or intended, but teachers will be triangulating data to establish the validity and reliability of students’ performances should such a circumstance arise.

It is not difficult to arrive at an informed estimation by evaluating students’ academic motivation and their present and historical records, by using feedback from teachers who have taught them in lower grades, or by comparing their grades/marks in the face-to-face and online assessments.

Hence, online assessments will not be the sole criterion for evaluating or grading students, and will be invalidated and ungraded if a student engages in unfair practice or if wide inconsistencies are detected.

ADVICE

In view of what has been highlighted so far, we:

• recommend students to enjoy their learning and prepare diligently for the Cambridge exams
• advise students to make a moral commitment to preserve the integrity of all exams and caution them of the consequences of using unfair practices
• invite parents to oversee students’ academic progress so that they depend on teachers to obtain a fair, reliable and accurate report
• suggest, but leave it to parents to decide; that if possible, students attend face-to-face assessments, including mock exams
• propose, but leave it to parents to decide; that if possible, students attend face-to-face practical sessions for sciences and ICT/IT, as it may not be feasible for students to sit for these components if they have had zero or minimal practice
• request parents to pay the Cambridge exam fees by 31 January 2021 if they have not done so

Thank you for your cooperation. Stay safe.

Merryland

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