Cambridge Keeps Assessed Grades for Cancelled SC and HSC Exams

Cambridge Assessment International Education has confirmed that it will continue to use a system known as Assessed Grades for any School Certificate or Higher School Certificate examination papers that are cancelled in Mauritius. The announcement, reported by Le Defi Media, brings clarity to students, parents and schools who have been uncertain about how disrupted sittings would be handled.

The SC (School Certificate) is the equivalent of O-Levels, typically sat by students around the age of 17, while the HSC (Higher School Certificate) is the equivalent of A-Levels, taken at around 19. Both are administered in Mauritius through the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate in partnership with Cambridge, and the results are used for university entry and employment across the island and internationally.

Assessed Grades, sometimes called derived or centre-assessed grades, are a method Cambridge introduced during periods of disruption, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, when traditional written exams could not take place. Instead of a written paper, a student's grade is calculated using a combination of school-based assessments, coursework, mock results and teacher predictions, which are then moderated and verified by Cambridge to ensure fairness and consistency.

The decision means that if any paper is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, whether a cyclone warning, a public health issue or another emergency, students will not simply receive a blank result or be forced to resit at a later date. Cambridge will instead draw on available evidence to award a grade that reflects each student's demonstrated ability.

This is particularly significant in Mauritius, where cyclone warnings regularly disrupt the examination calendar between October and December, the main SC and HSC sitting period. In past years, cancelled papers have caused anxiety about whether students would need to return for special sittings, sometimes affecting university application deadlines.

What this means: Students preparing for SC or HSC exams in Mauritius can take some reassurance that a cancellation will not leave them without a grade. However, the quality and consistency of school-based records, including internal assessments and mock results, will matter more than ever, since that evidence forms the basis of any Assessed Grade. Schools and students alike are advised to treat internal evaluations seriously and ensure records are well documented throughout the year.

Parents and students seeking more detail on how Assessed Grades are calculated should contact the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate, which coordinates with Cambridge on all local examination matters.

Source: Le Defi Media