Students preparing for the A Level and GCSE exams set to be held in two months have been given advice about coronavirus by the regulator Ofqual.
Ofqual has been put in charge of contingency planning for any disruption to the exams set to be held in May as a result of Covid-19.
Schools have been shutting down amid cases of the virus leaving students who are already revising and preparing for their end of course exams to work at home.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said more cases are 'very likely' and has revealed an action plan for dealing with a widespread outbreak - including changes to policing, bringing in military support and stockpiiling supplies.
There is already a contingency plan for exams which covers things such as school closures ahead of exams and what happens if papers can't be distributed - which has been created by the Joint Council for Qualifications.
Ofqual is working with the Government and exam boards to prepare for disruption to the exams.
A spokesman said: "We are working closely with awarding organisations and the Department for Education to consider how to manage any particular risks to the smooth running of exams and assessments should there be a widespread outbreak of coronavirus.
"We will update our existing guidance to reflect any specific arrangements schools and colleges should put in place if required. In the meantime, students, schools and colleges should continue to prepare for the summer exams and assessments as usual."
According to Ofqual:
In the absence of any instruction from the relevant awarding organisation, schools should make sure that any exam or timetabled assessment takes place if it is possible to hold it. This may mean relocating to alternative premises.
Schools should discuss alternative arrangements with their awarding organisation if:
- the exam or assessment cannot take place
- a student misses an exam or loses their assessment due to an emergency, or other event, outside of the student’s control
The Ofqual plan adds: "In the event of widespread sustained national disruption, the government departments will communicate with regulators, awarding organisations and centres prior to a public announcement.
"Regulators will provide advice to government departments on implications for exam timetables."
The current advice is that schools should try to continue teaching as normal, making alternative arrangements where necessary, and should try to hold the exams as timetabled if they can.
Under current rules students can get special dispensation if their exams or revision are disrupted - which can include increasing their score or using an alternative method to determine the results.
In the past exams have also been delayed to allow students to take them at another time - this was recently offered after the Manchester Arena bombing.
May will also see primary school students taking their Key Stage 2 SATs tests.
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