Board Exams Cancellation GCC Region
With board exams cancelled across the Middle East (Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc.), is anyone considering transferring to an exam centre abroad like Malaysia for example?
Personally, I have serious concerns about the evidence portfolio route. Internal assessments completed online during distance learning are inherently unreliable. Academic dishonesty is widespread, and when that inflates results, grade thresholds rise and honest students are the ones who suffer. On top of that, some teachers set their own papers in formats that bear little resemblance to the actual exam, so those assessments can’t fairly represent a student’s ability.
The situation is especially dire for private candidates and students who sat exams in the May/June session, since results expire after 13 months, making the October/November session inaccessible to them. And even for those who could defer to November, A-Level students would likely be looking at a gap year or a January/late intake at university.
That’s not a minor inconvenience. It means falling behind peers, disrupted offers, and lost time.
As for transferring centres, I’ve heard the per-paper costs are steep, and British Council centres internationally aren’t even confirming whether transfers are possible. Add flights and accommodation on top of that, and it becomes financially out of reach for most.
This is a genuinely difficult situation for everyone involved. I don’t think there’s much to celebrate here.