May 2021 IB exam update: Remember, keep your focus.
by Dave Allen
Last month I wrote to you about staying in control of your own destiny with regards to whether your IB exams will go ahead or not. I am now following this up with an update from the IB published on 4th February 2021.
The release states that the IB intends to use a dual economy system this coming May, as it did in November 2020. In regions where it is possible for students to sit the examinations, they will. The IB will provide papers and these will be electronically marked as in previous years.
In those regions where it is not possible to sit exams, the IB will again (as it did in November) rely on teacher assessed grades and the Internal Assessment. At the time of writing (6th February 2021) the way in which teacher grades should be determined has not yet been released but we are informed that it will be in the coming days.
What the IB has not done is determine what it means by a ‘region’. You may know that the IB has three global regions: The Americas; Europe, Africa and the Middle East; and Asia Pacific. It is my feeling that when it talks about ‘regions’ it will not mean one of these big three regions, but more likely individual countries, although, as I have said, those are my feelings and not necessarily those of the IB!
If you are in the UK it looks as if 22nd February 2021 has been earmarked as D-day as this is the day that the DfE / Ofqual will also release their information concerning how the UK A-Levels will be assessed this year (as it was previously announced that the examinations would be cancelled), but there is no information in the release about other countries. My feelings are that if your country of residence has cancelled its own national examinations, then it is likely the IB will do the same; however, until the IB makes an official announcement or you have been told by your school what the situation is for your IB exams then you should proceed as though they are happening.
One positive and sensible thing that the IB has done is to state that it will update schools and universities on the situation and explain how the grades will be awarded. The other sensible thing they will do is to ensure their grading is generous (probably more generous than in previous years) to reflect the more generous grading that students will receive from other examination bodies.
They always say the devil is in the detail and as yet, the IB has not released a list of ‘regions’ that will/will not sit the examinations. You will have heard this cliché before, but the situation is rapidly changing and evolving all the time – just because your exams are on at the moment may not mean they will actually run in the summer. How late the IB will allow schools to pull out is an as yet undetermined factor, but from your perspective, if your examinations are still on don’t assume they will be pulled or you could come seriously unstuck.
If you need some encouragement dealing with IB exam uncertainty read my previous article available here. And, remember, stay in control and control the controllable.
The full text and release from the IBO can be found here. If you have questions about it or are wondering what your school will do the best person to speak with is your IB Coordinator.
