London O/L, A/L exams to take place as scheduled

The Cambridge and Edexcel Examinations scheduled to take place this May/ June will take place as usual in spite of the current situation, a British Council official said.

Any changes in the usual plan will take place depending on the progress of the situation and after discussions with the relevant partners and authorities.

Private Colombo school teachers said there is no cause for concern academically as syllabuses for the exams are usually completed between January and February. While disruptions to examination timetables may occur, the overall impact is not alarming as students generally receive their study leave during the beginning of March.

However, students expressed concerns about the potential cancellation of tuition classes. They said a majority of revision and final exam preparation takes place at these classes. While no official cancellations have taken place, parents have withheld

students from attending due to health concerns. Most students depend on tuition classes for extra support, since schools give study leave almost two months prior to the examinations. However many teachers had chosen to stay in touch and tutor students via phone calls and messages. This was done to minimise the overall impact of schools closing.

Approximately 2500 students had registered to sit for their London examinations this May/June. While examination hall sizes differ according to subjects and locations, a student who sat for the Cambridge O/L examination last year said average exam hall size was about 150 students per paper.