Island students will not sit GCSE or A-level exams this summer and instead have their grades determined by their schools.

The move to cancel Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) exams for Year 11 and 13 students comes after the earlier cancellation of exams regulated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and those offered through the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC).

A new grading system will be built around a range of assessments between now and early June - with secondary schools using the evidence from these to arrive at their judgements.

This could include mock exams, coursework, essays and classroom based tests and schools will work together to ensure the system is fair.

Minister for Education, Sport Dr Alex Allinson MHK said: ’It is important to put the needs of our young people first and provide clarity to our teachers at this challenging time. That is why we have taken this decision to cancel all exams.

’The new system will give students the best possible chance to achieve the grades they deserve and progress to the next stage of their education or career.

’These outcomes are extremely significant and we will be working closely with schools to support our young people and our hard working teachers through the process.’

This year’s changes affect most general courses (IGCSE, GCSE and A-level) and technical courses (BTEC and OCR National Courses at Levels 1, 2 and 3).

However, there are some vocational courses that require skills to be assessed through practical exams that will still go ahead as normal.

Broadly, students in Y11 and 13 will be in school now up until mid-May and then, at the school’s discretion, some may be allowed to go on study leaveâ?¯in the lead up to what would have been TT week (this may vary slightly from school to school).

This year’s official leaving date is Friday, May 28, but schools may ask pupils to come in after that to finalise assessments and complete work that will help determine their grade.