04 Jun 2020
The main focus of our update today is on supporting schools with submitting predicted grades. Many schools are now submitting predicted grades and rank orders to us via our Grade Submission System, and we are providing a range of support for centres as they use it.
We are also writing with further updates to our FAQs and university applications.
Our updates, FAQs and school support pages continue to be updated regularly, so please bookmark them for your reference.
We will send our next update to schools on 10 June 2020.
Submitting grades and rank orders
The Grade Submission System is now live and many schools have already submitted their predicted grades and rank orders for their candidates.
Here are some useful reminders to help the process run smoothly in your school.
- The deadline for submission is 16 June 2020. If you do not submit predicted grades and rank orders before the Grade Submission System closes at 22.59 (UTC) on 16 June, your candidates will not receive a grade in the June 2020 series. We are not able to accept predicted grades and rank orders submitted after 16 June.
- You can access the Grade Submission System from our website.
- If you choose to complete your predicted grades and rank orders offline, you should download and upload the csv template from the system. Do not use your own version because the Grade Submission System will not accept it.
- To enter the rank order for candidates, you need first to click on the grade button that shows the total number of candidates allocated that grade. This allows you to enter rank orders for each candidate within that grade, starting with 1.
- You can still withdraw candidate entries by entering a grade ‘X’. We will credit your account for those entries.
- You must make sure you have enough evidence of a candidate’s performance to give them a predicted grade. If you are not confident that you have enough evidence, you should enter a grade ‘X’ for that candidate.
- We strongly recommend exams officers make sure heads of centre and teachers are familiar with our Regulations supplement for the June 2020 series.
- If you haven’t yet submitted your data to us, you can familiarise your heads of centre in the meantime with the Declaration they will need to sign for each syllabus.
Support for using the Grade Submission System
We offer lots of support to help you use the Grade Submission System on our website, including:
- A walk-through video
- A step-by-step online guide
- A support webinar recording.
You can also see a full range of FAQs on our website.
Timeline for awarding grades
Please see the timeline on our website for key dates.
Evidence
If we need to ask you to submit your evidence, we will contact you by 22 June. Do not send us evidence unless we contact you. You can find information about collating appropriate evidence in the ‘Awarding grades for the June 2020 series’ section of our website.
If you are not confident that you have enough evidence to allocate a grade to a candidate, you should enter a grade X for that candidate on the Grade Submission System.
Updates to our FAQs
Our updated FAQs are here.
You can now make entries for the November 2020 series. To help you prepare your candidates for November 2020, our FAQs include syllabus-specific advice about coursework and practical components.
University applications
We have been working closely with universities across the UK to learn more about their policies on accepting Cambridge qualifications in 2020, as well as their approaches to teaching in the context of Covid-19.
There is a strong commitment among universities to welcoming international students to the UK and showing flexibility where appropriate.
To help applicants and schools navigate the changes, Roshan Walkerley, Senior Recognition Manager at Cambridge International, recorded a podcast with representatives from two popular UK universities. Roshan looks at issues such as English language requirements, additional measures that universities may put in place for those starting university this year (such as blended online and face-to-face learning), and advice for current A Level students from the University of Bristol and City University of London.
You can find the podcast and blog post on the Cambridge International blog.
You can find statements of support from universities worldwide on our website.
Staying in touch
You can find advice on our Covid-19 web page. If you have any questions, you can review our frequently asked questions, or contact us via www.cambridgeinternational.org/help
We will update schools again on 3 June. We wish everyone in the Cambridge International community well at this difficult time.
