Vocational exams in the North cancelled for rest of 2021, minister announces

Diane Dodds said it would not have been fair to learners to continue with the exams (Liam McBurney/PA)

Essential skills and vocational exams in Northern Ireland have been cancelled for the remainder of this year, Economy Minister Diane Dodds has confirmed.

Mrs Dodds said the disruption to learning due to Covid-19 meant it was “neither sustainable nor fair” to learners or to providers to continue with the exams.

Thousands of students at schools and further education colleges will be affected by the move.

All GCSE, AS and A-level exams have already been cancelled this year by the Department of Education amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

How grades will be awarded has yet to be announced. Ministers hope to unveil these in the coming weeks.

The Department for the Economy handles the vocational and essential skills qualifications.

Mrs Dodds said: “The pandemic continues to disrupt every aspect of our lives and I know how unsettling a time this has been for learners, their families and local providers who deliver vocational qualifications and essential skills.

“I am acutely aware of the increasing disruption to teaching and learning, and despite the best efforts of our local providers and learners this is no longer sustainable nor fair to learners.

“Therefore, I want to provide clarity and certainty and have taken the decision to cancel all external vocational exams for the remainder of this year, including essential skills and BTecs, and all other vocational exams scheduled for February/March, and the scheduled summer exam series.”

The minister has instructed CCEA Regulation to ensure that awarding organisations put in place “suitable” alternative awarding arrangements that are reflective of this year’s particular circumstances.

She also reassured learners the awards they will receive this year will have the same standards and recognition as any other year, and will carry the same degree of portability as they consider progression pathways.

“There are a range of qualifications that demonstrate occupational competency, such as licence to practice, and I have requested that suitable assessment adaptations are put in place, in a similar manner to last year.

“Where this is not possible, assessments may need to be delayed given public health and safety considerations.”

The minister said that external exams will also be cancelled and replaced with a teacher judgment approach, based upon suitable evidence.

There will be a short transition period where essential skills on-demand exams will still be available up to the end of February, where they can be taken safely in line with PHA guidance, until the new arrangements are in place.

Mrs Dodds did not outline what alternative awarding arrangements will be in place but she said she had instructed the CCEA Regulation to work with other regulators to ensure that “clarity” on alternative arrangements is provided by awarding organisations to learning centres “as early as possible in March”.

“In relation to essential skills and other Northern Ireland only qualifications, I expect clarity on the alternative arrangements to be available by the end of February 2021.”

She added that it was her “priority” to ensure that vocational learners are afforded every opportunity to receive “fair, robust and timely results” and she believed that this was the “most appropriate” way forward, given the cancellation of this year’s GCSE/A-level exams.