Why I waited to sit for O levels in November instead of June
In 2021, Edexcel announced International GCSEs (O Level) will not be held in person in the May/June session. Instead, the students will be awarded Teacher-Assessed grades (TAGs). This method of grading is commonly known as "predicted results". During this time, the pandemic has already flared its fangs at the entire world.
For us candidates, the news came as a shock.
I discussed it with my friends and classmates. Almost everyone decided to go for the May/June session. No one wanted to wait for the next session. We have A levels in 2022, and time is a huge factor in preparing for those exams. They believed online classes were barely enough to prepare us. Everyone wanted to go with the flow. Still, I could not agree to take the TAGs.
I asked my parents for advice. "You will sit for the October session," said my father. "I will not let you go for the May/June session. I do not think predicted grades are good enough, nor do I support students passing with predicted grades. I believe you can do far better in the in-person examination rather than taking predicted grades."
I felt relieved that my father and I shared the same thought. My parents became my biggest source of motivation for the upcoming exams in November.
The calendar turned from May to September. I was attending A-level classes while revising for O-levels. Balancing the two was not difficult, although it was exhausting at times. The entire school had already gotten their results from the May session. The world had moved on. The registration date for Pearson Edexcel Examination – November approached.
"There is a 99.99% chance the exams will not go ahead," said the person helping me register for the exam. It was two weeks before the exams started. "We'll hold on to the 0.01% then," my mother replied to him. What happened next came like a flash of light. I got my Statement of Entry, sat for the exams, and by December 1, I was already done with the exams.
Right now, I am done with A levels. I received my O level results too – straight 9s (A*) in nine subjects. It was perhaps a good reminder for me to follow one's rationale when making a decision.
The writer is a student of grade XI in Bangladesh International Tutorial (BIT).