'A lost opportunity': UAE students react with fear, relief as British exams cancelled

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Several students in the UAE reacted with a mix of fear and relief at the news of British syllabus exams being cancelled in three GCC countries. For some, it would mean making life-changing decisions, while for others it brought a sense of relief.

Dubai student, 17-year-old Valrani, said the chance of not writing his AS level exams is a “lost opportunity” that he hopes will not cost him a university seat. “I am in Year 12 and the predicted grades in this year are vital for university applications,” he said. “This year because the exams are cancelled, the grade we get will be more portfolio-based. It is indeed a lost opportunity, and I hope it won’t be something that will cost me a university seat.”

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He added that he was going to spend the summer delving into the topics that was taught this year, hoping that he can use it to his advantage to score high in his A level exams next year.

It was on Thursday that British exam boards OxfordAQA, Cambridge and Pearson announced that they would cancel the exams for children living in the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain over regional tensions due to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war. This came after the Indian CBSE, ICSE and international IB boards cancelled their exams in the region due to the same reason.

 Gap year

One Year 13 student, who did not wish to be identified, told Khaleej Times that the development would force him to take a gap year instead of going to university. “I did not score as well as I would have liked for my AS level exams and was meant to resit those in May this year,” he said. “However, in this circumstance, those exams have been cancelled as well. This means, I will not be able to get into the university I want. So, I will take a gap year and then figure out what to do from there. It is very unfortunate, and I am still trying to wrap my head around it.”

Students typically take IGCSE exams between the ages of 14 and 16 across multiple subjects. Following these exams, then move on to the two-year A Level programme, which is split into two parts: the AS Level (Advanced Subsidiary) taken in the first year, and the A2 Level completed in the second year

Twins Rohan and Rhea Nihalani, Year 13 students in Dubai, said that they were relieved in some ways but disappointed as well. Both have secured university admissions in the US. “I am relieved that I don’t have to worry about writing a final exam and preparing for it,” said Rohan. “I can now focus on preparing for my university. However, if I had known that my mock exams were going to be the last exams I ever write in school, I might have prepared a little bit better.”

Rhea said that she was disappointed when she heard the news. “I had worked really hard for my literature paper,” she said. “I was looking forward to it. Also, I feel like I have been robbed of a proper graduation experience of preparing for the exams and the relief after it is over. Hopefully, we get to have a graduation ceremony afterwards.”

 Uncertainty

For Year 11 student Damien Dexter Goveas, the news brought uncertainty and apprehension. "I am concerned whether I will meet the thresholds to get the subjects I want for my A levels,” he said. “Right now, it is not very clear how schools will decide the final grade. So, I am nervous.”

He added that he was hoping that teachers would take into consideration how tough the mock exams were when deciding their grades. “For the IGCSEs, the national average is taken into consideration when giving a grade,” he said. “However, in the case of mock exams, there is nothing like that. Also, it is something that affects just a small part of the world, unlike Covid when everyone was facing the same situation. So I am just hoping and praying that not being able to write these exams won’t alter my subject or career choices.”