To students taking exams 2021,
I am writing to you today because I know that you have faced unprecedented disruption to your education this year due to the pandemic. Exams can be daunting at the best of times, but a global pandemic has the potential to make exams in 2021 even more challenging. I know that many of you have lost a substantial amount of time at school or college due to the pandemic and that you are working hard to catch-up.
On that basis, some of you might think that we should cancel exams next year and I sympathise with that viewpoint. However, I think that would be the wrong thing to do. Let me explain why.
Whilst they are stressful, exams are the best way for you to demonstrate what you know and can do. They offer you a fair, independent opportunity to demonstrate your abilities and give you control over your future and what you can achieve.
I previously announced that exams will go ahead next year — with most AS, A levels and GCSEs starting three weeks later than normal. This will provide you with some extra time to learn and revise for your exams — which I hope will help you to catch-up on some of the learning that you may have missed.
