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How is Europe going to handle end-of-school exams this year?
Updated 20:48, 08-Jan-2021
Giulia Carbonaro

The new year was expected to bring some relief to education institutions from the turmoil caused by the pandemic in 2020. 

But as the spread of the virus accelerates again, and with new lockdowns imposed across Europe, 2021 is so far looking very similar to last year.

Thousands of students across Europe are staying at home even after the Christmas holidays have come to an end, raising concerns over a generation of students who will likely still suffer the impact of the pandemic in years to come.

 

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Last year, as the worst of the pandemic hit, the school year was cut short from March for millions of students. After months of online lessons in virtual classrooms, faced with the challenge of how to handle final exams for school-leavers, countries managed the unprecedented situation in different ways.

From those that decided to cancel exams entirely, to those that held them under specific restrictions, no solution was ideal or without controversy.

 

A closed school in Dortmund, western Germany, on January 6. Schools in the country will remain shut until January 31. /Ina Fassbender/AFP

A closed school in Dortmund, western Germany, on January 6. Schools in the country will remain shut until January 31. /Ina Fassbender/AFP

 

Scotland and England's approaches sparked criticisms, after both countries canceled exams and calculated final grades by using an algorithm combining students' ranking and schools' results in previous years.

The algorithm was found to exacerbate existing patterns of inequality for students from low-income and minority backgrounds and led to some straight-A students being marked down by the algorithm if previous years' students at their school had performed badly. Following uproar, both countries scrapped the algorithm and used teacher-assessed grades instead.

The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and France all canceled final exams, with students receiving their exam grades based on their previous results during the year and having the opportunity to retake the exam in case of failure.

In Germany, Hungary, Austria and Italy exams were held under specific restrictions, sometimes under a different, simplified, format compared with the traditional one.

 

Students have returned to school in France on January 4, after the winter holidays. /AFP

Students have returned to school in France on January 4, after the winter holidays. /AFP

 

This year, after the painful experience of 2020, governments have been keen to plan what is going to happen in 2021's summer exams.

As recently as a month ago, final exams were meant to go ahead, though reduced, in England and Northern Ireland, while Wales had scrapped them in November and Scotland axed theirs in December.

But after announcing a new national lockdown and closing schools across the country for a second time, the entire UK has confirmed this year's A-level and GCSE exams have been canceled. Tests normally taken by pupils leaving primary school will also be canceled.

 

 

England's Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced on Wednesday that teachers' estimated grades will replace the canceled exams. 

Williamson also committed to ensure schools provide "high-quality remote education" of three to five hours per day to students, and teachers will receive support and training to ensure the grades are awarded "fairly and consistently".

Despite calls to cancel them, vocational and technical exams are expected to go ahead in England in January.

University lessons and exams will be held online until at least the end of lockdown, with the exception of hands-on courses - including medical and teaching courses – which should continue in person.

 

A student holds a sign reading 'Let's get back the school' as they demonstrate against the Italian government's decision to continue the closure of high schools in January, in Turin, Italy, on January 7. /Marco Bertorello/AFP

A student holds a sign reading 'Let's get back the school' as they demonstrate against the Italian government's decision to continue the closure of high schools in January, in Turin, Italy, on January 7. /Marco Bertorello/AFP

 

Italy, which last year chose to hold final exams in person, with students and teachers wearing face masks and keeping a 2-meter distance, has approved in December a new budget law under which $36.8 million will go to secondary schools to ensure final exams go ahead following strict safety regulation.

End-of-school exams will be held in person in June and, similarly to last year, students will only undergo the oral exam, while the two written tests, which are part of the traditional Italian maturità, are likely to be canceled.

In Italy, students have been allowed to go back to school on January 7, from primary school to high school, where 50 to 75 percent of the student population must be granted the right to attend lessons in the classroom. But regional authorities have the ultimate say on when and how to allow students back in school.

 

 

In order to avoid last-minute decisions, France has also already announced that final exams, the baccalauréat, will be largely scrapped and replaced with continuous assessment and coursework.

The baccalauréat is normally graded as a package, as an average of test results for a combination of compulsory subjects and other chosen "specialty" subjects. This year, only exams in the student's specialty subjects will be held in March or in June for those who cannot attend the first session. Tests in history and geography, modern languages, mathematics and scientific education will be canceled.

 

Staff deep-cleaning classrooms in France in April 2020 before reopening in May. /AP

Staff deep-cleaning classrooms in France in April 2020 before reopening in May. /AP

 

Last year, France canceled the baccalauréat for the first time in the history of the exam, introduced by Napoleon in 1808. Ninety-five percent of students passed the exams in 2020, with grades based on continuous assessment, so many that the French government had to create around 10,000 extra university places in September.

In the Netherlands, where schools and universities have moved entirely to distance learning, an exception is currently being made for students who take exams, those following practical training and vulnerable students.

Many countries, such as Germany and Spain, haven't yet come to a decision for this year's final exams.

 

Students wearing protective masks after schools were reopened in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on May 25, 2020. /Reuters/Luc Gnago

Students wearing protective masks after schools were reopened in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on May 25, 2020. /Reuters/Luc Gnago

 

But wherever they are, students worry about their future, about not being prepared enough to hold exams after losing so much learning time to the pandemic and about not being able to start university any time soon.

School closures have enormous consequences on students, from their mental and physical wellbeing to their future job prospects.

On a global level, 24 million students are expected to drop out of school due to COVID-19, according to the United Nations. The majority these live in South and West Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa.

Even in Europe, the chaos caused by the pandemic is likely to affect young people's career plans, reducing their opportunities for employment and training. One way to reduce uncertainty and apprehension will be to guarantee safe and fair final exams for all school-leavers ready to venture into the job market or start university.

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