17 Jun 2020
The main focus of this update is on the next steps for the process of awarding grades for the June 2020 series, now that the Grade Submission System has closed.
Today’s update also contains details of new research freely available to Cambridge teachers from today, called the Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review. We also have more information on our support pages and FAQs, as well as our plans for the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards.
We will send our next update to schools on 25 June 2020.
Thank you for submitting predicted grades and rank orders. The Grade Submission System is now closed. We give our deepest thanks to all of you in Cambridge International schools for your hard work and dedication in submitting predicted grades and rank orders over the last few weeks. We have made a video to share our appreciation with you.
We plan to publish more details next week about Step 4, where Cambridge International carries out a statistical standardisation process, combining data from the school with other data, and awards final grades.
Results release
We plan to release results for Cambridge IGCSE, O Level, International AS and A Level, ICE and AICE Diploma and Cambridge IPQ on 11 August. We plan to release results for Cambridge Pre-U on 12 August.
Support for schools
Great Teaching Toolkit
Cambridge International has partnered with Evidence Based Education (a UK-based research organisation) to produce the Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review. The report aims to help teachers identify the areas they can work on in their own professional development that will have the most impact on their learners’ outcomes. Professor Rob Coe and his team at EBE have examined over 100 studies on the links between teacher performance and student outcomes. In this report, they highlight the common areas that have been proven, around the world, to have the potential to transform learning.
View the Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review report. Please share widely with your teachers.
Teaching and learning when school is closed
You can find a range of resources to help you deliver teaching and learning outside the classroom. This leaflet gives an overview of the support available. Many of the resources in this section of our website will also help teachers to incorporate remote learning into the physical learning environment when they return to classrooms. Please share it with your teachers
Planned maintenance to our support sites
On Wednesday 24 June, we will be simplifying the way users sign into and manage their accounts on our support sites. The sites will remain the same, but user accounts will be merged, meaning each user will use the same login to access all our support sites.
Please be aware that as we implement the necessary changes, the School Support Hub and Cambridge Primary support site will not be available between 07:00 and 17:00 UTC on Wednesday 24 June 2020. The Cambridge Lower Secondary support site will not be available between 18:00 UTC on Tuesday 23 June and 17:00 UTC on Wednesday 24 June 2020.
Users do not need to do anything before these changes go live, but should download any resources they will need during the maintenance period by Tuesday 23 June.
We will send more information and details of changes to school coordinators and teachers later this week, and again once the changes have gone live.
Updates to our FAQs
Read our updated FAQs. Below are some of the key updates:
Our cohort of candidates for a syllabus in the June 2020 series has a different profile from previous years. What should we do?
We realise some schools may be concerned because they believe their cohort in the June 2020 series is different to those in previous years. Please do not send us information about unusual cohorts at this stage because we are not able to use the information in the statistical standardisation process. You can find out more about our post-results check for non-standard entry profiles here. We will share more details about this service in July.
Retake entries in the November 2020 series
Candidates can retake a syllabus in November 2020, if that syllabus is available in the November series. View a list of the syllabuses we have added to the November 2020 series. We are offering a discount for students who receive a grade from the June 2020 series and then wish to sit an exam for the same syllabus in the November 2020 series. To receive this discount, please make sure you tick the ‘retake’ box when you make your entry.
To find out more about fees for the June 2020 and November 2020, please log in to Cambridge International Direct, or talk to your Cambridge Associate.
Advice on running exams in your centre in November 2020
Some centres have asked us if we can provide advice on running exams in their centre in what may be different circumstances from usual. We are writing guidance for centres and will publish soon in a future update for schools.
We continue to monitor guidance from government authorities about school closures and re-openings. Our priorities remain to protect the health and safety of students and teachers, and to help students continue with their educational journeys as soon as possible.
Provisional timetable for the June 2021 exam series
Our June 2021 provisional timetable is now available for centres to review on Cambridge International Direct. We welcome any comments you have on it – please email them by 15 July 2020.
Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards
With the June 2020 examinations not taking place, we are unable to provide our Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards for this series.
Cambridge awards recognise outstanding achievements and are issued to those learners who have attained the highest standard marks in a subject, providing that the minimum grade and standard mark thresholds for the award category have been met. While we are able to issue grades for those who entered for the June 2020 series, these grades are being issued without marks. Without these marks we are unable to fairly calculate and distinguish high achievers.
We understand how special our awards are to our students and schools, as they recognise exceptional learner achievement in Cambridge examinations around the world. We look forward to presenting our students with awards in future series.
Staying in touch
You can find all our advice on our website
If you have any questions, you can review our frequently asked questions, or contact us via our help section.
We will update schools again on 25 June. We wish everyone in the Cambridge International community well at this time.
