Education minister confirms exams will go ahead in NI in 2021

Peter Weir MLA, confirmed the position after the Welsh government cancelled the examinations due to the impact of the global pandemic.

Results for Welsh pupils will instead be based on classroom assessments.

Minister Weir said he was “disappointed that Wales has acted unilaterally to move away from the three-country arrangement for GCSEs, AS and A-levels. These new proposals appear radically different from England and NI and call into question whether these qualifications can be treated as comparable to GCSEs and A Levels awarded through examinations.”

He said that he believed that rather than alleviate stress, the “Welsh proposals for teacher-managed assessments, and the lack of clarity about what these will actually entail, are likely to significantly increase anxiety levels which will further impact pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.”

The Minister added: “My priority is that exams to award CCEA qualifications should go ahead as planned in 2021. I am conscious that the public health situation remains fluid, therefore my officials are working closely with CCEA to develop a range of further contingencies should the public health situation worsen.

“However the experience of 2020 has shown us that exams remain the fairest method of assessing and awarding qualifications. In these uncertain times, the familiarity of the exam system provides greater certainty as learners know what they are working towards and how it will be awarded.”

The Minister said significant changes have already been made to CCEA qualifications and the number of exams pupils will need to take has been reduced.

Local MLA Mark H Durkan has urged the Education Minister to reconsider and cancel GCSE and A-level examinations for 2021.

The SDLP MLA said the ongoing impact of Covid and disruption in learning demands a different approach.

“In the midst of a pandemic, when life and the world around us has practically been put on hold for the best part of a year, contingency plans really should have been in place- not just for GCSE and A-level students but for children set to take their transfer test in just two months’ time.

He added: “Undertaking these examinations is a daunting prospect at the best of times, yet pupils this year have had to contend with and adapt to numerous challenges. They have spent more time out of the classroom than in it, many hampered by periods of self-isolation and continued disruption to their learning, which places them at a significant disadvantage.”

Mr Durkan said school pupils have already ‘suffered enough’ and they, their parents and their teachers ‘do not need the added stress of preparing for examinations in overcrowded halls’.

“I would urge Minister Weir to reconsider his decision in favour of classroom-based assessments. This would go a long way in easing the pressures and anxieties for all involved.

“Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. And a degree of leniency really must be shown by the department.”

The National Association of Head Teachers has already called for contingency measures for examinations in 2021.