Grade 11 classes of all government schools, except those in the isolated areas of the Western Province will re-commence on January 25 according to Education Minister Prof. G L Peiris.

Education Minister Prof. G.L. Pieris has previously stated that all schools from Grade 01 to Grade 05 will re-open on 11 January 2021 for academic activities except in Western Province and in isolated areas.

In August the school opening time table was given as 4th January. However, with the second wave the dates have changed several times.


11 January 2021 - Grade 01 to Grade 05 in all areas excluding Western Province and in isolated areas.

25 January 2021 - Grade 11 classes of all government schools except those in the isolated areas of the Western Province.

The GCE Ordinary Level Examination which was earlier slated to be held next January will most likely be held in March 2021, Education Minister Prof. G.L.Peiris said in December. The 2020 GCE Ordinary Level Examination was to be postponed as it was deemed not fair to hold the exam as scheduled from 18th to 27th of January 2021, given that only 50% of O/L classes are in operation at present as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Education, Prof. G.L. Peiris said on Thursday (Dec. 03).

Speaking at a special media conference held online under the patronage of Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, the Education Minister said that the exam will not be postponed beyond March 2021 and after the exam, results will be released by June, enabling them to begin their academic activities for the GCE Advanced Level Examination in July 2021.

The Education Minister said that unlike the Advanced Level examination, the Examinations Department needs only nine days to hold the O/L examination.The Ministry is currently in the process of selecting a suitable nine days to hold the exam in March 2021.

Exam impact for International schools - London A/L and O/L

Meanwhile, in England, exams are still going ahead but some have been moved back by three weeks to allow for more teaching time, and with reduced content in some subjects.

Wales' GCSE, AS and A-level exams in summer 2021 are to be cancelled, with grades based on classroom assessments.

Education Minister Kirsty Williams said it was impossible to guarantee a level playing field for exams due to the ongoing impact of the Covid pandemic.

In Scotland, the GCSE-equivalent National 5 exams are cancelled and replaced by teacher assessments and coursework, but Higher and Advanced Higher exams will just be delayed by two weeks.

Exams in Northern Ireland are still going ahead but the number of papers in some subjects has been reduced.

No exams took place in summer 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. To enable students to receive qualifications, it was announced that students who were due to sit A level, AS level or GCSE exams this summer would receive a calculated grade. For each student, schools and colleges have provided a centre assessment grade for each subject; this is the grade their school or college believes they would be most likely to have achieved had exams gone ahead, taking into account a range of evidence including, for example, non-exam assessment and mock results. This grade was intended to be put through a process of standardisation, using a model developed with Ofqual, to arrive at the final calculated grade.