Modified arrangements for IGCA Awards during the Covid-19 pandemic

[Boyd Roberts]

Modified arrangements for IGCA Awards during the Covid-19 pandemic

 

Many schools have been closed or considerably scaled back during this continuing Covid-19 pandemic. This has disrupted external examinations, and examining bodies such as the International Baccalaureate and GCE A level examination boards have put in place exceptional arrangements. Students are receiving awards on the basis of work completed up to the time of school closure, and without external examinations.

A degree of flexibility also seems appropriate in making IGCA awards this year.

 

Some participants are continuing their Award activities on a limited scale during school closure, and will be able to resume their regular Award activities when schools return to fuller levels of activity.

 

However, there are some students, particularly those in their last year at the school, who will not be able to complete their IGCA programme before leaving the school. We do not have arrangements for individual participants to continue their participation in the IGCA. (IGCA participants must be undertaking activities at an IGCA centre, where they can receive mentoring, and, at silver and gold levels, engage in mentoring of other participants. Participants are also involved in the award process itself, recognising the development of fellow participants during the programme.) It does not seem fair to participants who are leaving school this year that they should fail to receive an IGCA award because of circumstances entirely beyond their control.

 

While it is important that the IGCA awards are made seems in a way that is credible and complies with the international framework, it does seem entirely appropriate that schools should exercise an appropriate level of flexibility this year in considering awards for such participants. 

 

Schools make the IGCA awards themselves, and should exercise their own judgement in making exceptional awards.

 

You may wish to bear in mind:

1. length of participation in the programme. A minimum of six months’ participation is required for each level. A minimum of four months participation this year might be reasonable.
2. Final panel presentations, where participants describe and reflect on their IGCA journey to a panel of people from school and, perhaps, outside the school, may not be feasible. For gold level, a panel presentation is required. Schools may also use panel presentations for bronze or silver levels.

It seems reasonable to consider making awards this year without such panel presentations, where it is not possible to arrange them.

 

To emphasise again, schools are encouraged to use judgement in making awards this year to take into account the exceptional circumstances that mean that leaving students may not be able to complete the usual requirements. As always, you will wish to ensure that the credibility of the programme within the school is maintained.