The 2021 AS and A'Level examinations date has changed once more, with the examination series previously scheduled for May/June being preponed to begin on 26 April.
In a press release describing the latest changes in exam schedules, the Ministry of Education revealed that the May/June A'Level exam series had been preponed to begin on 26 April 2021. The Ministry noted that the decision had been made by Edexcel UK, and that they had not agreed to change the date of examinations despite discussions held with them by the Ministry of Education and the Department of Public Examinations.
Early on in March, the Education Ministry had revealed that the May/June AS and A'Level examinations, previously cancelled in February, would be conducted in the Maldives as scheduled.
With the latest changes, the Education Ministry revealed that this year's HSC examinations will start on 13 June. The The AS/A'L examinations series for the ongoing year will now begin earlier than expected on 26 April 2021.
The change has caused great distress to students, who have little to no time to complete mock exams and revisions prior to the exams under the current schedule. Young students have taken to social media to voice their concerns, noting that at present, there was not enough time to complete the syllabus for their subjects before the examinations begin.
The Ministry of Education had previously announced the cancellation of the AS and A'Level exam series as Pearson UK had determined it was not feasible to conduct the examinations across countries in light of the global Covid-19 pandemic. A teacher-based assessment had been proposed as an alternative to grade students, which the Ministry of Education had determined was not a feasible alternative in the Maldivian context.
The Education Ministry had conducted five meetings with Edexcel representatives, where they had advocated for students in Maldives to be able to sit the exam despite worldwide cancellations of the exam. Following this, a decision had been made to allow Edexcel AS and A'Level examinations to continue in the country, with as-yet unseen question papers.
