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Exams Updates in Gulf

Official announcements for British Curriculum May/June 2026

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Urgent Update: British Curriculum Exams (IGCSE, AS & A-Level) have been officially cancelled for May/June 2026 in UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Lebanon.

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Due to recent official announcements, the British Curriculum examinations (IGCSE, AS, and A-Level) for the May/June 2026 series have been cancelled in several Gulf countries and Lebanon. This page provides the latest details on how students will be graded and what this means for university admissions.

Exam Boards Involved

These updates apply to all major international boards operating in the region:

CAIE Pearson Edexcel OxfordAQA

Affected Regions

The cancellation of physical examinations currently applies to:

UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Lebanon
However, exams are running normally in:
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Oman.

OFFICIAL BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cambridge International 

Executive Summary:


Schools are asked to submit a portfolio of three substantial pieces of evidence that student has put at least 1 hour each.This is then marked by Cambridge examiners.

IGCSE/OL: Students to submit a portfolio of three substantial pieces of evidence

ALevels:


Staged Route (Carrying Forward AS Level): If a student already completed their AS

Level in a previous exam series, they can carry that AS Level forward. Their Portfolio of Evidence for this summer will only need to cover the A2 Level syllabus content.

Linear Route (Full A-Level): If a student is taking the full A-Level this summer, their portfolio pieces must cover both the AS and A2 syllabus content.

Carry Forward of components like coursework or practical cannot be made. The portfolio should include the carried forward components and listening.

For Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics (9709):  The three pieces of evidence should cover both the Pure and Applied components (Mechanics/Probability & Statistics). 


Options available for students: 


Defer to a Future Session: Recommended for students who do not urgently require certification this summer or who prefer to wait and sit traditional exams rather than use the alternative evidence routes.

Transfer to a New Center: Students can relocate to take physical exams in an unaffected country. This must be processed by your current school, and you will receive a new center and candidate number once officially registered at the new host destination. For further information call our academic counselors

  • Accepted evidence: 


     

    •  Whole past papers that cover the current syllabus content.
    • Whole specimen papers from the current syllabus.
    • Whole coursework that has been prepared according to the requirements of the current syllabus.
    • Work that is made up of questions selected from various past papers.
    • Papers that have been used as mock exams.
    • Extended project work or tasks set by the center during the course of study, such as essays, assignments, problems, and practical tasks.

Important Constraints for Acceptable Evidence:

Duration: Each piece of evidence must have taken the candidate at least one hour of concentrated work to complete. The only exception is if you use a whole Cambridge past paper that is officially under one hour in duration.


No Multiple-Choice: You cannot use multiple-choice question papers as evidence, nor can you use multiple-choice questions as part of a test created by the center.

No Listening paper: You must not include the listening paper in the portfolio of evidence.

No Live Materials: Any confidential exam materials sent for the current live exam series cannot be used as evidence Private Candidates:

Equal Requirements: Centers are required to treat private candidates in the same way as their own enrolled students. Private candidates must meet the exact same requirements regarding the amount of evidence (three substantial pieces), the types of work, and the coverage of syllabus content

Strict Authentication: The center must be confident that the private candidate’s work is authentic. Work completed earlier in the course by a private candidate will not be accepted unless there is convincing proof of its authenticity and secure storage. Verbal assurances from the candidate or their family members are not accepted as proof

Completing New Work: Because of these strict authenticity rules, centers will likely need to set new work or mock exams for private candidates to complete. Ideally, private candidates will be asked to complete this work directly at the center under the supervision of teachers

Center Responsibility: The ultimate responsibility lies with the entering center, not the private candidate. The center must select the evidence, ensure it is authentic, submit it to Cambridge, and the Head of Centre must sign the final declaration

Pearson Edexcel  

Executive Summary:  

Students registered for International GCSE and International ALevels will have two different routes based on whether they have already did any exam units for the same subject or not. 

Students who have done subject components were referred to as students with banked units, while students who did not sit any subject components or units in any previous session were referred to as “ Students WITHOUT banked units” 

Example:

Students with banked units 
Student who did P1, P2 as part of the International AS Mathematics or Units 1 and 2 as part of the International AS Biology.

Student who did a paper in International GCSE subject and is still doing this May/June 2026 another unit 

Students WITHOUT banked units: Student who is doing full subject, P1,P2 and M1 in International AS Mathematics or Units 1,2 and 3 in International AS Biology. Student doing an International GCSE Mathematics full exam (1H and 2H)

Students with banked units will have their current units graded based on their performance in units that are already assessed in previous sessions.

Students WITHOUT banked units will be on International Contingency Grading  path and submit the portfolio of evidence which will have the grades awarded based on it. 

Students who are affected 

For students affected by the cancellation of Pearson Edexcel May/June 2026 exams (International GCSE, International A Level, and iPLS), the board has established several contingency options based on the student’s specific circumstances and certification needs:

  1. Change of Center (Transfer) If it is feasible and safe, transferring to an approved host center in an unaffected country to sit the physical exams remains Pearson’s preferred option. Students can be transferred to take their papers elsewhere. This will require the approval of their current centre and the centre they are asking to sit exam at. Students will receive their certificate with their current school/centre name on it.
  1. Deferral to a Future Session If a student is not strictly required to complete their qualification and receive their final certificate this summer, they should be deferred.
  2. Special Consideration (For Students with Banked Units) If a student must certificate this summer and already holds banked unit results from a previous exam series (or has completed components for a linear qualification), the school will apply for special consideration. Pearson will apply “enhanced grading” to calculate the final overall grade using those existing, banked results.
  3. International Contingency Grading (For Unbanked Students) If a student must certificate this summer but does not have any banked units to rely on, the school will apply for International Contingency Grading. This requires the school to submit a Portfolio of Evidence—ideally consisting of full past papers completed under strict exam conditions— which Pearson’s own examiners will directly review and grade.

Evidence accepted

  • The Primary Preference (Full Past Papers): Pearson strongly prefers that centers submit a full set of past papers for each subject (for example, submitting both Paper 1 and Paper 2 if the qualification normally requires two papers).
  • Strict Conditions: Ideally, these past papers should have been completed by the student under strict, formal exam conditions, or as close to exam conditions as possible.
  • Alternative Evidence: Pearson recognizes that completing full past papers may not be possible for all learners due to the disruptions. If a center cannot provide full past papers, they are welcome to submit alternative evidence of the student’s performance. Pearson’s examiners will review whatever alternative evidence is submitted to determine a grade.
  • Predicted Grades (For Context Only): Centers are allowed to include the student’s predicted grades within the wider portfolio. However, Pearson explicitly states that these predicted grades will only be used as “supporting context.” Examiners will award the final grade strictly based on the actual work submitted in the portfolio, not on the predicted grades.

Private Candidates 

Private candidates must contact their registered exam center immediately to inquire about the specific procedures for submitting a portfolio of evidence. If the center’s process remains unclear and a student absolutely must receive their certificate this series, we strongly advise transferring the exam entry to a center in their home country to avoid missing the session. Alternatively, if receiving a certificate this summer is not urgent, we recommend deferring to a future exam session.

Oxford AQA

Executive Summary:

Students registered for Oxford AQA International GCSE, AS, or A-level qualifications will have two different routes based on whether they have already achieved results in previous components or not.

Students who have already completed subject components are referred to as students with “banked results,” while students who have not previously banked grades in any prior session are referred to as students “WITHOUT banked results.” Example:

  • Students with banked results: A student who previously completed units 1 and 2 as part of the OxfordAQA International AS Biology, or a student who did a paper in an International GCSE subject in a past series and is completing another unit this May/June 2026.
  • Students WITHOUT banked results: A student who is taking the full subject this series, such as units 1-5 for OxfordAQA A-level Biology, or a student doing a full International GCSE Biology exam (Paper 1 and Paper 2).

Students with banked results will have these existing results used to provide an overall grade for the subject.

Students WITHOUT banked results will follow the alternative assessment route and must submit “evidence of student performance” (a portfolio of evidence), which OxfordAQA examiners will directly assess to determine the final grade.

Options for Affected Students

For students affected by the cancellation of Oxford AQA May/June 2026 exams, the board has established specific contingency options based on the student’s circumstances and certification needs:

  1. Deferral to a Future Session (For Non-Certifying Students) If a student is not strictly required to complete their qualification and receive their final certificate this summer (non-certifying students), Oxford AQA requires them to defer to a future exam series.
  2. Banked Results Grading (For Certifying Students) If a student must certificate this summer and already holds banked results in OxfordAQA International AS and A-level components from a previous exam series, OxfordAQA will use those existing results to calculate and provide an overall grade for the subject.
  3. Evidence of Student Performance (For Unbanked Students) If a student must certificate this summer but does not have previously banked grades, the school will submit digital evidence of student performance for every unit or qualification the student is entered for. OxfordAQA examiners will make a holistic judgement based on this evidence to award the final grade. Evidence Accepted

Accepted evidence:

  • The Primary Preference (Full Past Papers): Oxford AQA strongly prefers that centers submit a completed set of OxfordAQA past papers for the required units.
  • Strict Conditions: If possible, the set of past papers submitted should have been completed by the student under exam conditions.
  • Alternative Evidence: Oxford AQA recognizes that a completed set of past papers may not be available or appropriate. In these cases, examiners will accept completed or partially completed NEA (coursework), classwork completed during the course, or any other evidence that reflects the student’s ability. This alternative evidence must cover a broad range of the Assessment Objectives in the specification.
  • Predicted Grades (For Context Only): Centers have the option to submit predicted grades as part of the wider portfolio of evidence. However, these predicted grades will not be used to award the final grade; they will only provide valuable contextual information for the examiners if required.

Private Candidates

Private candidates must speak to their registered exam center in the first instance to inquire about the specific procedures for submitting their evidence of student performance. The exact same evidence criteria apply to private candidates, and OxfordAQA will provide separate guidance to centers on how to submit this work. If the center’s process remains unclear, or if a student is unsure about the new alternative assessment approach, we strongly recommend deferring their exam entries to a future session.