Ofqual has now announced the changes for the 2021 GCSE, AS and A Level exam. If you wish to have a look at the document, you can download it yourself. Please find the link  here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/906173/Consultation_decisions_-_proposed_changes_to_the_assessment_of_GCSEs__AS_and_A_levels_in_2021.pdf 

Here is the summary of the decisions, some of the subjects such as History, Geography, English Literature, Drama etc. contain a lot more changes than the science subjects. That will affect you and your teachers for  the next year.

Firstly, they are not going to change the length, number or format of the exam papers. That means all the past exam papers are going to be really useful when it comes to preparing for exams in the future, especially for science.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, you have been absent at school therefore the dates of the summer 2021 exams have not been confirmed yet. However, they can take place in June and July (it’s just my guess😊) because pushing the exam dates forward will definitely give more time to teachers to complete their curriculum. On the other side it will leave less time to mark the exams and sort out the results. If they postpone the result day, that will affect people when it comes to going over their applications for colleges or sixth forms.

There is also an appendix about all subjects we will look for biology, chemistry, physics and combined science. With the new regulations, you don’t physically have to do science experiments yourself, but you still need to know about them (How to measure and calculate). Your teacher will probably do a demonstration of the equipment and practical. You might find a difficult if you’re not actually in a science lab however videos and simulations will be helpful

As I previously stated, some subjects, such as dance and drama etc.  will be affected much more than others but on the other hand GCSE maths hasn’t been affected at all.

At the moment, it’s still the beginning  of September and the things might change during the year but you need to remember that you have to cover many subjects and discipline as you’ve missed a lot.  

As a result, I can advise you to watch video at home about all the work that you’re doing in school. Prepare your own flashcards and mind maps for each subject and practice the past exam papers. These will be really helpful.