By Hemant Bharwaney & Zoe Ying

As schools gradually return to normal following a decline in COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong, the absence of a year group is subtle but noticeable.  Every year, after April break, the Year 13’s leave the school to face their IB examinations and, beyond that, adult life. However, this year has been different; as part of government efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 infection, IB students in HK have had their exams cancelled.

In this exam-focused education system, the sudden disappearance of the “final goal” has left students feeling adrift. One major concern is the uncertainty surrounding grades, and how they will impact university admissions.  Many questions remain to be answered. How is “academic performance” measured?  How are various assignments and assessments weighed?  How do teachers prove that students could maintain - or even, through intense revision in the months leading up to the final exam, improve - their grade procured in Internal Assessment and mock exams?

The Truth spoke with a few Year 13’s to gather their opinions.  While feelings were mixed, there were some distinct themes. 

Most reacted to the news with initial elation at not having to study, which shifted into disappointment: “That relief slowly turned into a bit of sadness because I realized I essentially wasted two years of my life for nothing.”  Some felt that secondary had gone out with a whimper; to Tiara Asa, “It wasn’t the fact that I spent two years studying for an exam that I wasn’t even going to take. It was the fact that exams were a symbol for the end of high school.”  Adrian Cheung agreed: “These last two years have been the final challenge - the most important trial of my entire existence thus far - so it’s been disappointing in a sense.”  He went on to elaborate, saying: “At first I was quite scared because my study routine was essential… it made my life feel stable and made me feel like I was doing something meaningful.”

Others expressed disappointment about being denied the opportunity to improve on their mock exam grades.  Said Neel Chawla, “People put most of their effort into exams, so the way that they are examining us is not truly representative. I understand that they don’t have many options, but I don’t think the current methods will truly show what people are capable of.”  Ruefully, Chi Ching Chow remarked: “I feel like my IAs were not the strongest - I’m not very confident in my IAs for getting me the grades I want.”  More bluntly, Cheung called out his friends for “slacking throughout the year and [thinking] they would be able to boost their grades with the final exams.”

On the other hand, a small group of students who knew they “wouldn’t do so well with the exams” were thrilled by this ‘free pass’ of sorts.  One student said she was “so happy” she “jumped around in [her] room for an hour.”  She spoke of feeling weighed down by school, and celebrated her renewed freedom: “Because school is out of the way now, I feel so much happier as a person. I can actually do what I want now. I can finally put my plans into action.”

Regarding the IB’s handling of the situation, all unanimously agreed that while it was necessary to prevent the spread of the virus, the information rollout was handled badly.  As Chow pointed out, “We found out not through an official announcement but by teachers leaking information, which we couldn’t verify. It caused so much unnecessary confusion and uncertainty that could’ve been avoided if they made an official statement in the first place or told everyone at the same time.”

Most complained about the vagueness of the IB’s methods of calculating final grades: Jordan Ng described it as “just a bunch of words that basically say ‘we don’t know’ -  which they might have their reasons for, but from a student’s perspective, it’s not a good thing.”  Said Chow, “previously, we knew exactly what was going into our final grades. We knew the weighting of each paper. Now, they’re using “predictive analysis” or whatever - they’re using ambiguous terms that don’t clarify the situation to us at all.”

However, she noted the difficulty of replicating grades without actually having exams: “Some people do much better in exams and some people don’t. You can’t inflate/deflate everyone’s grades without some people being disadvantaged.”

On the topic of being disadvantaged, some students contemplated the academic impacts of not taking exams.  Asa felt that the IB’s modified ‘formula’ would not hold the same credence to universities or future employers.  Further, she spoke of losing her motivation. “Will I be able to get back to the motivation level and work ethic from Year 12 and Year 13? I don’t think so. Even with online school, I still had a purpose.”

However, most students showed positivity about their present and optimism regarding their futures. “Ultimately, I realized that I had to accept the fact that exams were cancelled and I should just enjoy the time I have now,” said Alistair Kwai. Cheung saw an opportunity to regain balance in his daily life, saying, “After the exams were cancelled, I started running - I’ve been trying to improve my fitness and overall physical wellbeing. Also, when I look back on Year 13, I realise that I barely spent time with my peers. This has given me the opportunity to connect with my friends, albeit in a limited way.”

Chow reflected: “I feel like it’s provided a good break between high school and university - university is moving into ‘adulthood’, so I suppose this time is a good time to acquire skills and become more independent. I’ve been taking more control of my life - cooking meals and doing more chores - basically preparing for university.”

As the world heads towards an uncertain next couple of years as countries reassess policy and repair damage to the economy, as well as face a potential global power shift, maybe the final takeaway for students present and future is to prepare well for the unexpected.  In the long run, this realisation now seems much more important than any grade.   

And to close with a silver lining. Chow concluded with a final positive take:  “The Class of 2020 is so unlucky. But we’ll be remembered forever, so … hee hee!”