Since the publication of this blog post, Cambridge International has announced that it will not to run international examinations in the May/June 2020 series in any country.
Hello everyone,
To all our teachers, students, staff and leaders at our schools around the world, I would like to send my warmest wishes at this most uncertain and unprecedented of times.
The situation with the Covid-19 outbreak continues to evolve rapidly, impacting the lives, routines and future plans of each and every one of us.
At Cambridge International, we understand what a challenging and worrying time this is. As the situation develops, I would like you to know that we are doing all we can to minimise the impact to students, allowing them to continue their education as smoothly as possible.
From now on, I will be communicating with you on a regular basis through the Cambridge International website and social media channels to let you know what we are doing as an organisation to respond to developments.
- Exams:
The UK Government and Ofqual have made an initial statement on how they will award grades for domestic exams.
We are engaged with UK government and other exam boards as this approach is developed, and the implications will inform our discussions with schools and universities.
We are extending deadlines to give schools more flexibility with their decision-making (please check our website for updated information).
We are also working with universities to assist them in recognising student potential during these challenging times.
- Support for teachers and schools:
Our support for schools that are turning to remote teaching continues to grow. I will provide more updates on this as we develop these resources. We have made a vast range of teacher resources, known as Resource Plus, free to use. We have seen a massive uptake in its use, with more than 84,000 people joining in the first two days.
We have provided guidance on tools to support remote teaching and learning, with associated blog posts. We have also run webinars for thousands of teachers in China and Italy, giving best practice for online teaching. We are looking at running similar webinars to support schools in other countries too and we will publish the webinars on our website so they are available to all teachers worldwide.
Moreover, on our website, you will find up-to-date news about our support, FAQs, tools to support remote working, and more.
Finally, our publishing partners, Cambridge University Press, Hodder & Stoughton and Collins have also made a range of resources, such as e-books, available for free. More details on these offers can be found on our website.
The current situation is difficult for everyone. We are working with our teams around the world to closely monitor the situation and work out the best way to support schools.
I have asked all our teams to redeploy staff and efforts to provide maximum support to schools during this time.
We are endeavouring to provide information as rapidly as possible. Please consult with our official communications channels, rather than any unofficial news reports. And don’t hesitate to keep in contact with our Customer Services team for any specific enquiries.
Stay safe and keep well,
Christine Özden, Chief Executive, Cambridge Assessment International Education
