Students' grades in the UK will again be assessed by teachers after GCSE and A-Level exams were cancelled for the second year in a row.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson on Wednesday said the government would be "putting our trust in teachers rather than algorithms".
Mr Williamson vowed not to repeat the chaos of last year, when pupils complained they received unfair results under a computer-based model.
He said it was no longer feasible for formal exams – used to determine entry into university and college – to go ahead with so much time lost to the pandemic and the latest lockdown.
"Although exams are the fairest way we have of assessing what a student knows, the impact of this pandemic now means that it is not possible to have these exams this year," he told parliament.
"We will provide training and support to ensure teacher-assessed grades are awarded fairly and consistently across the country."
Cambridge International Education, which accredits IGCSEs, expected overseas exams would still go ahead.
"We work with schools in 160 countries and most of our schools are telling us they want to run exams in March 2021 and June 2021 and expect to be able to do so, in line with guidance from their national and regional authorities," a spokeswoman said.
“We continue to prepare for the March and June series to go ahead and are providing a range of measures to help our students and schools manage the impact of the pandemic."
She added: “With regard to our schools in the UK, we will be working closely with the UK Department for Education and Ofqual and will update those schools as soon as possible."
International schools in the UAE had been calling for answers on alternatives to written exams prior to Wednesday's announcement.
Many school principals in the Emirates told The National they were expecting a repeat of school-assessed grades.
Meanwhile, Mr Williamson said exam regulator Ofqual would be setting out its plans for teacher-assessed grades in the UK in the weeks ahead.
Geoff Barton, from the ASCL head teachers' union, said it was a "dereliction of duty" ministers had not already prepared an "off-the-shelf Plan B".
“Ofqual now faces a race against time to come up with the fine-tuning of a credible alternative to exams," he said.
Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green accused Mr Williamson of allowing "chaos and confusion" to reign by failing to listen to the "expertise of professionals on the front line".
Last summer, Mr Williamson abandoned algorithm-determined results in favour of teachers' predicted grades after a public outcry from students who felt they had been marked too low.
Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stressed that he would be “extremely cautious” over when schools would reopen.
“Schools were the very last thing to close, as I’d always promised that they would be,” he said.
“When we begin to move out of lockdown, I promise that they will be the very first things to reopen. That moment may come after the February half-term, although we should remain extremely cautious about the timetable ahead.”
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
MATCH INFO
Everton 0
Manchester City 2 (Laporte 45 2', Jesus 90 7')
T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
