The most decorated educational system in the country can suffer on the account of corona virus spread across the world. The Cambridge education system in the country is host to approximately 25,000 students in 335 different private schools. These numbers are staggering as it is on a constant rise with every passing year. The more astonishing fact is of the view that 35% of these students are private O/A Level students. The examination of O Levels and A Levels is conducted under the banner of Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE). These exams are conducted on annual basis with following similar grounds to matriculation and intermediate exams, i.e. examination centers, roll number slips, schedule of date sheet etc.

However, the competitive level of these exams is marked higher than any other examination system in the country. Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) has recently announced that method for students’ assessment in 2020 shall be revised. The new plan of assessment is based on evidence based grading. This will solve out the problem for 65% of the students studying O levels and A levels in various private schools of the country but rest 35% students are in hot waters. The only reason of such a sticky situation is that these are private students and they don’t have any evidence based results to award them grades. This decision has been taken by CAIE owing to the COVID – 19 crises across the world.

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CAIE conducts two exams, one in the month of June and other in November, therefore, all the private students will now have to take November examination for acquiring grades. The situation for regular students is even not that great as they will be awarded grades through a four step evidence based process. CAIE has made an official statement that private students will not be treated differently in comparison to the regular students. All the private students that have been accepted by various centers of CAIE will be marked based on evidence grading. Whereas, all the private students that have not been taught at any of the centers will have to appear in the examination of November, 2020.

The private students of O/A levels willing to appear in November, 2020 exams will have to pay an additional fee to CAIE. Majority of private students’ study at home or apply for the exams to improve their grades but now they are in uncharted territory as either they have to pay an additional fee or wait for a full academic year. The examination for private students was cancelled by all the Cambridge bodies after the declaration of pandemic by World Health Organization.