NOTICE

In the on-going January session of Pearson Edexcel International A Level & International GCSE exams, we have been approached by many candidates, parents, school authorities and members of the media, asking whether these exams will be held during the current programme of hartals. This note is to address and clarify all concerns relating to these issues. Pearson Edexcel school examinations are conducted worldwide. Strict standards therefore have to be maintained to protect their integrity. This includes adhering to set examination times, which means that we are unable to reschedule or change examination times at short notice. However, the safety of our candidates and their families is of paramount importance to us. Therefore in circumstances such as this, where candidates face a significant personal danger in reaching the examination venue, and therefore examinations have to be cancelled, we put in place procedures to ensure that as far as possible candidates are not adversely affected. These procedures will be communicated to students and their parents through the British Council and their partner schools as soon as possible. We recommend frequent checking of SMS and the British Council Facebook page for the latest news. British Council Bangladesh has been conducting schools examinations in Bangladesh for more than thirty five years. Therefore, we know how important these examinations are to each of our candidates. However, the security environment is beyond the control of our management team or Pearson Edexcel, and, above all, we must also ensure the safety of our candidates. We can assure you that we are committed to taking the best possible measures in each specific set of circumstances and to providing each candidate with the best possible examination environment.

Rosemary Arnott Country Director British Council, Bangladesh

Carl Rhymer Head of Customised Solutions and Product Portfolio Pearson Qualifications International