O-level, IGCSE exams from May 10: minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood Monday announced annual assessments for O-level and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), previously due to start on May 15, will now begin from May 10.

In a tweet, the minister said that the decision was taken at the request of Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE).

“After consultation with provinces/stakeholders we have agreed. Now O level/IGCSE [exams] will start from May 10,” the tweet read.

I had received a letter from Christine Ozden, CEO Cambridge requesting that O level/IGCSE exam should be allowed to start fro May 10 instead of May 15. After consultation with provinces/stakeholders we have agreed. Now O level/IGCSE will start from May 10 pic.twitter.com/IZeIYyQfWd

— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) March 29, 2021

In an attached letter, CAIE chief executive officer (CEO) Christine Ozden had said that the earlier start would “help us to enable many more students to progress and their equivalence in the education system will be fairer as they will have a better chance to demonstrate what they have learnt”.

Mahmood had last week announced May 15 as the date for O-level examinations, saying A-level assessments would be held as per schedule.

Earlier this month, the government had closed down all educational institutions in several major cities and Islamabad initially for two weeks, but later extended the duration until April 11, after surge in Covid-19 cases.

At the time, Mahmood said that the government decided to shut down all educational institutions in seven districts of Punjab, one district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Muzaffarabad.

Last year, Cambridge International had cancelled all exams that were scheduled to be held in the country in May and June at Islamabad’s request and in view of the pandemic.

However, this year, it announced it would be cancelling in-person exams in a “very small” number of countries — 10, including the United Kingdom — and would award students grades based on their teachers’ assessment, or expected grades.