UK's OxfordAQA cancels IGCSE and A Level exams in UAE for May/June 2026 series

Dubai: UK exam board OxfordAQA has cancelled all International GCSE and International A Level exams in the UAE for the May/June 2026 series.

The announcement came in an email to UAE schools on Thursday, signed by Rob Bryson, Director of International Delivery, and seen by Gulf News.

“After consulting closely with The Ministry of Education, schools and other international exam boards, we have made the decision to cancel OxfordAQA exams in your country,” Bryson wrote.

Students will be graded based on the evidence of performance and previously banked results

Students with banked grades

For students who have already achieved results in OxfordAQA International AS and A Level components in a previous exam series, those results can be used to provide an overall grade. Students who have not previously banked grades will need their schools to submit evidence of their performance.

Schools have been asked to submit evidence of student performance digitally between Friday, May 1 and Friday, June 12, 2026. A Head of Centre declaration will also be required, and schools will have the option to submit predicted grades.

"Our examiners will carefully consider and award grades based on all evidence submitted, while also considering the context in which the work was produced, and the challenges students have faced," Bryson said.

Non-certifying students

For students not planning to complete their qualification in this series, OxfordAQA said it will work with schools to defer them to a future series, with more guidance to follow.

Support for schools, students

OxfordAQA said it has prioritised getting information to schools to provide as much certainty as possible, with further details on contingency arrangements to be added to its support site in the coming days.

"We know that this has been an extremely difficult time for schools, teachers and students, and that everyone has shown outstanding resilience. We are putting students at the heart of every decision we make," Bryson said.

Schools needing support can contact OxfordAQA at info@oxfordaqa.com or call +44 161 696 5995, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm UK time. 

Other UK boards such as Cambridge Assessment International Education and Pearson Edexcel also announced the cancellation of their exams in the UAE on Thursday.