IB program cancels exams due to COVID-19, will score based on previous coursework

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Sara George, Section Editor - Student News

After the International Baccalaureate (IB) program announced that exams administered between April 30th and May 22nd would be cancelled, IB has released further information concerning “what it believes to be the most responsible and ethical way forward,” according to an email sent out by IB Coordinator, Chris Weber. 

Students will still have an opportunity to earn certificates and diplomas, but the scores will be solely based on past assessments and coursework.

“We will award each student a grade for each of their registered subjects using a calculation that considers their coursework marks and their predicted grade, as submitted to the IB by their school. For most components we will externally mark work that is usually marked by teachers, instead of taking samples and applying moderation,” according to an FAQ on the IB organization website. 

Due to this change, Internal Assessment submissions will be required for all students in many core subjects. Teachers have been advised to reach out to students if any other work submissions are required. 

“It is vital that students respond to their teachers’ messages and turn the work in now.  We have one more week during which time we can prepare our uploads: students must have submitted any remaining work by 10 April at the very latest,” said the email. 

Any requested extensions on late work could possibly indicate a delay in score receival, which is expected to be released on June 5th. The scoring will not change, and diploma candidates will still receive a final score out of 45 points. 

Many colleges have indicated they will still be accepting IB scores, despite the changes the program has implemented.