Today, the government announced that A-Level examinations will be held again in May/June, as students are encountering challenges with the current exam timetable in the Maldives. In a statement, the Ministry of Education announced that beginning this year, the May/June Edexcel A-Level exam series will take place in the Maldives for students looking to enter as private candidates.

Per the announcement, the Department of Public Examinations will start sharing details about these examinations beginning next Wednesday.

The Ministry of Education highlighted that data has shown that candidates aiming to take Edexcel A-Level exams in May/June now incur an average cost of over MVR 30,000 just on travel and accommodation to go overseas. Before COVID-19, A-Level exams took place in May and June.

Nonetheless, in the face of the major transformations caused by the pandemic in the education sector, the academic year was prolonged, and in 2020, the A-Level exams were rescheduled to October/November.

Since that time, A-Level examinations in the Maldives have solely taken place in October/November. This adjustment meant that if a student had unsatisfactory results, they missed the chance to promptly take a re-test, which impacted their likelihood of entering the National Top 10 and obtaining scholarships.

The Top 10 is revealed soon after A-Level results are published, but the only chance to retake and enhance grades in the Maldives occurs a whole year later.

Students who drafted a petition for the Ministry of Education to address this issue mentioned that capping the A-Level exams at the year's end led to students wasting a considerable amount of time. These students observed that if test scores were poor, the chance for a re-take was only offered one year afterward.