23 Nov 2022
We continue to work closely with our schools to understand how the pandemic is impacting their teaching and learning and what support they need from us to help candidates complete their exams.
Most Cambridge schools around the world are no longer seeing long-lasting closures and are relying less on the support we introduced at the height of the pandemic in 2020. However, learners in some countries - such as China - still face many challenges due to the pandemic. Overall, we are adjusting our support measures for each exam series in 2023 to reflect the changing needs of the majority of schools, and at the same time continuing to provide support to the schools who need it most.
This table shows the support measures and criteria available for each exam series in 2023 and we have included more details below.
June and November 2023
Component exemptions
We have considered in detail our approach to component exemptions for 2023 and worked closely with our schools to understand how they continue to be impacted by the pandemic. We have found that component exemptions are not needed by schools to the same extent as they were in previous years. This is because most of our schools are no longer impacted by the widespread closures we saw from 2020 to early 2022.
Component exemptions will continue to be available in both June and November 2023. However, to be eligible for a component exemption in June 2023, your school must have been closed by a local or national government directive for a minimum of 13 teaching weeks (excluding school holidays) between 1 September 2022 and 17 April 2023. If you apply for component exemptions, you will have to send us evidence that your school was closed by the authorities in your country when you send us your application. We will not accept applications without this evidence. You will be able to apply for exemptions for the June 2023 series from 23 January – 17 April 2023. We will share more details about how to apply as soon as possible.
If your school shut during the above period, but it was not due to a local or national government directive, then we cannot accept an application for component exemptions.
The criteria for applying for component exemptions for the November 2023 series will be the same as for June 2023. You will be eligible to apply if your school was closed for a minimum of 13 weeks (excluding school holidays) from 1 February - 21 September 2023. We will confirm the application window, and how to apply, in 2023.
Component adjustments
Component adjustments allow candidates to complete the component but in a way that is easier to manage. Component adjustments will continue to be available for the June 2023 series. You need to apply to use them in the same way as in previous exam series. The criteria for applying will also remain the same.
From and including the November 2023 series onwards, component adjustments will no longer be available. Most of our schools are using adjustments less, or not at all, now that the impact of the pandemic on teaching and learning is less severe. Leaving adjustments in place until June 2023 gives schools time to plan their teaching for November 2023 and beyond, to make sure they teach the whole syllabus in the usual way.
Guidance for components
Guidance for components will continue to be available in our June 2023 exam series and you do not need to apply to use it. Guidance supports candidates to complete all components of a syllabus.
From and including the November 2023 series onwards, guidance for components will no longer be available. By making guidance for components available until June 2023, we are making sure schools have enough time to plan their teaching to make sure they teach the whole syllabus in the usual way.
Special consideration
Throughout the pandemic we have extended our special consideration process to support candidates who, unexpectedly and for an acceptable reason, miss some components they were entered for. Candidates have received a result as long as they completed at least one eligible component.
For most of our schools, the impact of the pandemic is now reducing, and they are returning to normal levels of teaching and learning. However, we want to continue to support schools and allow enough time for teachers, their colleagues, and students, to adapt to the evolving situation throughout 2023. The first step in this phased approach is that candidates entered into the June 2023 series must have covered the whole course and have completed a minimum of 30 percent of the total assessment by component weighting to be eligible for special consideration.
We will confirm more details about special consideration for November 2023 by March 2023.
March 2023 (our March series is available to schools in India and Romania)
Component exemptions
Component exemptions will continue to be available in March 2023. However, to be eligible for a component exemption, your school must have been closed by a local or national government directive for a minimum of 13 teaching weeks (excluding school holidays) between 1 May 2022 and 14 December 2022. If you apply for component exemptions, you will have to send us evidence that your school was closed by the authorities in your country when you send us your application. We will not accept applications without this evidence.
You can apply for exemptions for the March 2023 series until 14 December (at 23:59 UTC). The application form is available on Direct, in 'Support Materials'.
If your school shut during the above period, but it was not due to a local or national government directive, then we cannot accept an application for component exemptions.
Component guidance and adjustments
Component guidance is available and you do not need to apply to use this. None of the syllabuses that use component adjustments are available in the March series. Therefore component adjustments have never been offered in March.
Special consideration
For the March 2023 series we are again expanding our special consideration process for candidates who unexpectedly, for an acceptable reason, miss some components they were entered for. As long as these candidates have taken at least one eligible component, they can usually receive a grade. This is the last series in which the one component approach will be available.
We cannot calculate an assessed mark for the following:
- Cambridge International A Levels where a candidate has not completed any A2 Level components in the exam series
- Cambridge International AS Levels where a candidate is entered for a 'best of both' option, and has previously taken the same AS component in another series
- any component that does not have a weighting, e.g. an endorsed component.
See more details about special consideration in March 2023.