‘Moving on’ when your exams get cancelled
By Cheryl Lai and Zoe Ying
One of the major consequences for students during Covid-19 was the cancellation of the May 2020 IB exams. Instead, the IB used a combination of teacher predicted grades, historic data and student coursework to calculate grades. Despite a scandal regarding poor information rollout and lack of transparency, there was a rise in average scores worldwide.
“A very large majority of students got their first place university choices, more so than any other year,” said Ms Jess Davey-Peel, IB DP coordinator and secondary vice-principal at Renaissance College.
Caption for image:In May, it appeared that Hong Kong had all but eliminated the coronavirus. Local transmissions were down to zero, and schools reopened for the first time in four months. As cases began surging in late June, they were forced to close again, leaving students disappointed.
Ms Davey-Peel cited worries about sending students off to university with less exam experience than previous cohorts, though she conceded that it was only one exam session of many: “They’ve already gone through their Y11 end-of-year exams, their Y12 end-of-year exams, and mock exams - it’s difficult to gather solid data on how it affects their confidence going into university.”
The Truth also spoke with a few 2020 graduates to understand how exam cancellations have affected them, and responses ranged from feeling worried to extremely relieved.
Some students felt that it didn’t have a massive impact, and that the grading mechanism remained accurate in reporting their ability level. “My final IB score was identical to my first set of predicted grades”, said ‘T’, who wishes to remain anonymous. “I doubt they would have changed drastically even if I had done the exams.”
Others argued that many had neglected their internal assessments (IA’s) under the impression that their exams would boost their results, as they were originally worth a more significant proportion of their overall grade. “As a student, the exams were our final opportunities to either increase/decrease our grades. I was quite worried as I didn’t have the best grades before,” said ‘H’, who also wishes to remain anonymous.
Despite a larger majority of students getting their first place university choices, some felt the unprecedented situation had caused confusion regarding university application procedures. “It limited future possibilities towards some universities and opened possibilities towards others,” said H.
However, students felt that the exam cancellations gave them an opportunity to relax and regain balance in their day-to-day lives. “Effectively, we finished the IB about three months ahead of schedule. By June, many of us had long stopped worrying about the IB,” said T.
There was the sentiment that the cancellation of the M20 exams stripped them of the senses of completion and achievement that they had expected to come with the monumental end of this chapter of their lives. “I don't think this is the ending any of us wanted,” said T. “Having a global pandemic to get out of exams isn't exactly worth it.’”
As schools prepare to reopen again later this month, one must keep in mind that despite best efforts, outbreaks can emerge out of seemingly nowhere and throw a wrench in the best-laid plans of even the most well-prepared cities. The continuing coronavirus concerns cast uncertainties about the status of the 2021 IB exams. In a document sent to school leaders, the IB communicated that they were taking out sections of the exams as a response to concerns regarding loss of teaching time, and to "help IB schools plan for a manageable, practical and achievable teaching and learning experience in the new school year”.
“The current situation means that students can't rely on the final push in exams to help boost their final grade.”
The school is currently working to amend the structure of various courses to reflect the changes the IB have made. “We need to teach students what they need to learn, to put them in the best possible place in the summer,” Ms Davey-Peel said. “The most important thing for students to do right now is place heavy emphasis on their IAs, because that’s what the IB has assigned importance to.”
To learn more about the impact that these changes have had, The Truth spoke with current Year 13’s.
Although students may have had conflicted feelings about the amendments made, after the initial shock and excitement, some realized that the cancellation of exams is not completely good news. One student, X, is worried about having to go through a similar experience to the 2020 graduates. “The difference between their predicted and final grades were rather shocking,” he said.
Many are worried about what this means for their predicted grades, as the cancellation of their final exams means a change in the way that their exams are weighed in each subject. For example, the cancellation of Paper 2 in both types of English classes places emphasis on the individual orals (IOs) and Paper 1, which students find more difficult to prepare for as they need to examine an unseen text.
“Especially for those who aren’t confident in their IAs, the current situation means that students can't rely on the final push in exams to help boost their final grade,” said Adrian. However, for those who expect to perform better on their IAs and IOs, this may lead to higher marks.
“Depending how good you are at each paper and each subject, this big change may play to your advantage or work against you,” said Luc, a student at LPC.
All in all, the exam cancellations have had varying degrees of impact on everyone involved, but one thing can be said about the experience. “We can’t change what has happened,” said H. “All that can be done is to move on, and make the best out of it.”