Update for Cambridge schools on June 2020 series

19 August 2020

To Cambridge International schools worldwide,

Following our announcement on 17 August about the change in our awarding process for June 2020, this
week’s update provides answers to the main questions we’ve been asked since.
It also gives guidance on our November 2020 exam series – whether you’re deciding whether to make
entries or defer to 2021, or simply want guidance on running exams safely.
We remain very grateful to you for working patiently with us through this challenging period. We
encourage you to keep in touch with us if you have questions or would like advice.
We will update schools again on 26 August 2020.

Support to schools with changes in awarding process for the June 2020 series

On 17 August we issued an update on how we are awarding grades for the June 2020 series. This update
was sent to all schools and is also here.

We have decided that grades we issue for the June 2020 series will not be lower than the predicted
grade submitted by the school. Where a grade we issued last week was higher than the predicted grade,
the higher grade will stand.

Frequently asked questions

• When will we receive our new grades or group awards?
We will issue new grades via Cambridge International Direct and the Candidate Results Service (if
applicable) on Friday 21 August at 10.00 BST.

We will recalculate all group awards (Cambridge AICE Diploma and Cambridge ICE) based on the new
grades. We plan to release these on Thursday 27 August.

While we update our system with the new grades (between now and the date of release), you will not be
able to see your existing grades or historical performance data on Direct. Instead, you will see a holding
message until the new grades are available. Centres will still be able to view the predicted grades they
submitted to us by logging into the Grade Submission System at
https://submitgrades.cambridgeinternational.org The Candidate Results Service will be unavailable until
results are released.

• What results information will I get?

The results documents you will receive will be a pdf with provisional results information for each candidate
and broadsheets in both Excel and pdf format. As with your original results documents for June 2020,
there will be no Percentage Uniform Marks (PUMs) or Component Marks information.

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Update for Cambridge schools – 19 August 2020
 • We are a UK centre. Do I get new results information through MIS / A2C?
If you are a UK centre and you usually receive your results information through MIS/A2C, this will also
apply for your new grades.

• What if I’ve already submitted a post-results check? Do I withdraw it? Will I get a refund?
We have stopped work on post-results checks and appeals. If you have one submitted, you will not be
charged or receive an outcome for it. You don’t need to withdraw them from Direct. If you have had a
completed post-results check, you will also not be charged.

• Can a candidate appeal their predicted grade?

We are finalising our appeals process. We fully understand the urgency of questions about appeals and
we will update you next week.

• Will these grades be recognised now by universities?

Yes. We cannot speak for every university in the world, but every indication is that they will recognise
them. UK universities will do so. We continue to engage with universities and will let you know if we hear
any more information on university recognition.

• What’s happening with applications to UK universities?

We are working with UCAS to send them revised grades on Thursday 20 August.
UCAS will then pass them on to your students’ chosen universities and colleges.

In the meantime, students are advised to discuss their wishes with family and schools. They can contact
their chosen universities and colleges directly to let them know their predicted grades and discuss the
options available.

Universities and colleges will need to have received students’ updated grades before they can make a
decision on students’ applications.

Further information can be found on our website here.

We continue to do everything we can to support Cambridge students in their progression.

November 2020 series

We are running exams for the November 2020 series where schools believe it is safe and where they
have the necessary permissions from government authorities. We believe exams remain the fairest and
most reliable way to assess student achievement and our schools are telling us they want to hold exams
if they can. Question papers will start to be dispatched to schools and exam centres very soon.
You can find extensive guidance here on what to do if your candidates are able to complete some
assessment components but not others.
We will not be running an alternative system to exams using predicted grades.

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Update for Cambridge schools – 19 August 2020
 Guidance on deciding whether to make November 2020 entries
To help you decide whether to make entries for November 2020 or wait until 2021, we have created a
guide about different aspects you may want to consider and added it to our website. To make it easy to
use, we have structured it around the phases of the Cambridge exams cycle. You can find it here:
www.cambridgeinternational.org/nov-2020-entry-choice
You can use the guide to help you think through some of the main questions. For example, what happens
if you have November entries but cannot hold exams due to national or local restrictions that relate to
Covid-19? If you defer your entries to a series in 2021, does the syllabus being examined have different
set works?

Entry and withdrawal deadlines for the November 2020 series

Given the challenges of sending question papers to you during this changing situation, it is particularly
important that you submit your entries to us by the deadline below, or earlier wherever possible.
The deadline for first time entries has now passed. Fees for late entries will be charged as normal.
However, you will receive credit for any withdrawals made before the end of the day on 30 August.
You can make ‘retake’ entries until the end of the day on 21 September. This is to support centres who
may be uncertain about making entries because of the ongoing impact of the pandemic. Please make
sure you tick the ‘retake’ box when you make your entry. You cannot tick this after you have
submitted your entries.
If your centre needs to withdraw all its entries because of relevant government restrictions on schools, we
will provide a credit for the entry fees if you withdraw your entries by 30 September. However, we do
encourage you to leave entries on Direct until you know for sure that you need to withdraw them.
If you work with us via a Cambridge Associate, including the British Council, they may set earlier
deadlines. Please contact them if you need to confirm the deadlines for your centre.

Guidance on running exams in the November 2020 series

Our guide for exams officers and heads of centre will help you run November 2020 exams safely and
securely. An updated version of the guide is on our website:
www.cambridgeinternational.org/covid/november-2020-exam-series
Our key priorities remain the same - to keep students and teachers safe, and help students get on with
their educational journeys as soon as possible.

Staying in touch

You can find all our advice on our website at www.cambridgeinternational.org/covid

If you have any questions, you can review our frequently asked questions, or contact us
via: www.cambridgeinternational.org/help.

We wish everyone in the Cambridge International community well at this time.

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Update for Cambridge schools – 19 August 2020