We, the undersigned students and parents, formally raise our concern regarding the sudden withdrawal of the contingency grading option for candidates registered for Remote Invigilation examinations with Pearson Edexcel.
On April 13, we were officially informed that students in affected regions, including those registered for Remote Invigilation, would be eligible for contingency grading provided they withdrew from the exam series and submitted the required request by April 17. Acting in good faith and in reliance on this communication, many of us completed the withdrawal process within the stated deadline.
Following this, students were informed that their applications for contingency grading had been accepted. In preparation, we undertook supplementary assessments and completed additional work to support our portfolios, as required for contingency grading.
However, approximately one week prior to the commencement of examinations, we were informed that this option had been withdrawn. We were instead given the following alternatives:
- Sit the examinations as originally scheduled
- Defer to a later exam series
- Request a refund
We believe this decision is both unfair and unreasonable for the following reasons:
-
Reliance on Official Communication
Students made academic and logistical decisions based on Pearson Edexcel’s written confirmation. Reversing this decision after acceptance undermines trust and places students at a significant disadvantage. -
Insufficient Time to Prepare
With examinations beginning imminently, students who had shifted focus to contingency assessment are now expected to revert to full exam preparation within an extremely limited timeframe. -
Limited Deferral Options
Not all subjects are available in the October/November series, making deferral an impractical or impossible option for many students. -
Academic and Emotional Impact
This sudden change has caused significant stress and disruption, particularly for students already affected by external circumstances. -
Equity and Fairness
Students who followed the official process and met all deadlines should not be penalized due to a late policy reversal beyond their control.
Our Request
We respectfully request that Pearson Edexcel:
- Reinstate the contingency grading option for all students who applied and were accepted before the stated deadline;
- Provide an equivalent, fair alternative that does not disadvantage affected students academically or logistically.
29 Comments
actually outrageous, this is just not fair to any student. Most importantly it goes against students following official communications
This is very unfair to the students and their parents, and even the teachers. Either hold online exams, or dont.
I am feeling stressed because of how my other friends were doing contingency grading normally and although we are learning on the same school. What broke my heart most is that how they kept telling us that we will stick to contingency grading and suddenly, they played us, students, really unfairly. What hurt the most is they did a last minute U Turn And added even more stress to the stress we had,I’m not satisfied that the school brought more stress upon me during this difficult war time. We are all human and we have feelings too, there isn’t a difference between people doing on centers and the people who are doing it online, we are facing the same stress and fear in this never ending war
This is a farce. Exams on / Exams off / Exams on. All in a conflict zone. Terrible pressure on our children.
My own daughter hasn’t been affected by the sudden u-turn because she was signed up for an in person exam but the last week she’s cried and stressed and made comments like ‘I should just kill myself’. This isn’t to be taken lightly. They’re young people navigating important exams and the constant swap and change has been highly unsettling for them. For young people who have had new mocks sprung on them at the last minute and now being told the Invigilation is back on is highly unfair.
ITS UNFAIR
hi lol will it work?
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We, the undersigned students and parents, formally raise our concern regarding the sudden withdrawal of the contingency grading option for candidates registered for Remote Invigilation examinations with Pearson Edexcel.
On April 13, we were officially informed that students in affected regions, including those registered for Remote Invigilation, would be eligible for contingency grading provided they withdrew from the exam series and submitted the required request by April 17. Acting in good faith and in reliance on this communication, many of us completed the withdrawal process within the stated deadline.
Following this, students were informed that their applications for contingency grading had been accepted. In preparation, we undertook supplementary assessments and completed additional work to support our portfolios, as required for contingency grading.
However, approximately one week prior to the commencement of examinations, we were informed that this option had been withdrawn. We were instead given the following alternatives:
- Sit the examinations as originally scheduled
- Defer to a later exam series
- Request a refund
We believe this decision is both unfair and unreasonable for the following reasons:
-
Reliance on Official Communication
Students made academic and logistical decisions based on Pearson Edexcel’s written confirmation. Reversing this decision after acceptance undermines trust and places students at a significant disadvantage. -
Insufficient Time to Prepare
With examinations beginning imminently, students who had shifted focus to contingency assessment are now expected to revert to full exam preparation within an extremely limited timeframe. -
Limited Deferral Options
Not all subjects are available in the October/November series, making deferral an impractical or impossible option for many students. -
Academic and Emotional Impact
This sudden change has caused significant stress and disruption, particularly for students already affected by external circumstances. -
Equity and Fairness
Students who followed the official process and met all deadlines should not be penalized due to a late policy reversal beyond their control.
Our Request
We respectfully request that Pearson Edexcel:
- Reinstate the contingency grading option for all students who applied and were accepted before the stated deadline;
- Provide an equivalent, fair alternative that does not disadvantage affected students academically or logistically.
29 Comments
It is too late to withdraw the ‘special circumstances’ option provided. In addition the security situation is still uncertain and students are still under distress. Nothing is ‘back to normal’ to remove the special circumstances option.
actually outrageous, this is just not fair to any student. Most importantly it goes against students following official communications
This is very unfair to the students and their parents, and even the teachers. Either hold online exams, or dont.
I am feeling stressed because of how my other friends were doing contingency grading normally and although we are learning on the same school. What broke my heart most is that how they kept telling us that we will stick to contingency grading and suddenly, they played us, students, really unfairly. What hurt the most is they did a last minute U Turn And added even more stress to the stress we had,I’m not satisfied that the school brought more stress upon me during this difficult war time. We are all human and we have feelings too, there isn’t a difference between people doing on centers and the people who are doing it online, we are facing the same stress and fear in this never ending war
This is a farce. Exams on / Exams off / Exams on. All in a conflict zone. Terrible pressure on our children.
My own daughter hasn’t been affected by the sudden u-turn because she was signed up for an in person exam but the last week she’s cried and stressed and made comments like ‘I should just kill myself’. This isn’t to be taken lightly. They’re young people navigating important exams and the constant swap and change has been highly unsettling for them. For young people who have had new mocks sprung on them at the last minute and now being told the Invigilation is back on is highly unfair.
ITS UNFAIR
hi lol will it work?
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It is too late to withdraw the ‘special circumstances’ option provided. In addition the security situation is still uncertain and students are still under distress. Nothing is ‘back to normal’ to remove the special circumstances option.