Headteachers in Wales are divided over whether or not next summer’s exams should be cancelled in Wales.
Those against say it wouldn't be fair because some students have been in school more than others during the pandemic.
Those in favour of exams say they are the fairest and most transparent way to assess achievement and point to the fiasco when they were cancelled this summer.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams said this week that she will announce plans for next summer’s exams in Wales before the end of this month.
But Scotland has already decided what it will be doing.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on October 7 that National 5 exams, equivalent to GCSEs, are to be cancelled in 2021 and replaced with teacher assessments and coursework.
Higher and Advanced Higher exams will go ahead in Scotland as usual but will start two weeks later than planned.
Despite saying in August she intended next summer's exams to go ahead, Ms Williams has a tough decision to make alongside regulator Qualifications Wales.
Stephen Garthwaite, head of Ysgol y Grango in Wrexham, said Wales should follow Scotland’s lead and use assessments and coursework instead.
He said plans must be made now to void uncertainty: “I think that we need to follow Scotland’s lead and use coursework and teacher assessments rather than exams next summer.
“Too many pupils have suffered so much disruption to their learning over the past few months, and their learning continues to be disrupted with increasing self-isolation and partial school closures.
“It would be better to know now that we can assess pupils in different ways over the next few months rather than leave it to summer and then have to come up with something at the last minute like last year.”
But Neil Foley, headteacher of Prestatyn High, said: "I think we should fight where possible to hold exams next summer.
"I think pupils deserve to do exams they have worked towards, but they should slim down all qualifications. In their current form exams wouldn't work but you could slim down papers to ask about the key elements of a subject with a couple of optional questions."
He said in the current exam based system "exams are the best way to determine the level of ability pupils have attained" and to change that now would be complex, pointing to the massive outcry and U-turn over grades in August.
"Our education culture is immersed in exams and you can't get away from that. Teachers and pupils trust them, in the main."
Mr Foley said qualifications such as the three science GCSEs could be cut to one paper and the number of questions on exams could also be cut. He warned that using teacher assessment could be complicated this year because as part of its slimming of the curriculum for exams Qualifications Wales has cut out the coursework element of some GCSEs.
Whatever happens to the summer 2021 exam series, next month’s English, Welsh and maths GCSEs are going ahead, schools and the regulator have confirmed.
Jackie Parker, head of Crickhowell High, said a “small number” of her pupils will be taking maths and English November GCSEs at a safe social distance, but that is very different to the large numbers who would sit GCSE, AS, A level and other qualifications in the summer.
“It’s very clear that we can’t run exams next summer as normal,” said Mrs Parker, adding that it was not just about holding exams safely, but also fairly.
“Even if we did have a vaccine before Christmas, even then, it would be very difficult, so we need to revise our exams.
“We need to ensure we can reassure young people and their parents that standards will be maintained.
“We can’t have what we had this summer and we need to be planning in advance. We need to make sure school leaders know exactly what is required.
“I am delighted to hear the Education Minister is going to make an announcement at the end of October. I think that’s soon enough and means detailed discussions with Qualifications Wales to get it right.”
Do you think next summer's exams should be cancelled in Wales? Leave your comments here.
Eithne Hughes, director of the Association of School and College Leaders Cymru, said whatever happens next summer assessment of standards must be “robust and fair”.
Some schools have been shut to face to face learning to some exam years more than others and not all pupils have the same access to devices and wifi for remote learning, or the same family support.
Ms Hughes suggested some students may still not have devices to work on from home, despite a programme to deliver them to those without them.
"The feedback I have had from members is that it would be hard to run the traditional exam series next summer. It would be extremely hard and potentially unfair.
"We cannot have U-turn (on methods of arriving at grades) again.
"We cannot have a position where everyone is geared up to do exams and give the message exams are happening but with all the uncertainty Covid then swipes that off the table and we end up in the position where decisions have not been made.
"I think everybody would like business as usual but the situation we find ourselves in is extremely difficult and whatever we decide on needs to be fair and robust and have the confidence of the public."
Neil Butler, Nasuwt national official for Wales, said the Welsh Government must take into account the extra workload for teachers if exams are cancelled.
He said: "There is already an enormous workload involved in non-examination assessments. It would be unacceptable for that to be simply transferred to teachers as a requirement for all aspects of all examinations.
"Much thought is needed on this and the Welsh Government must be careful of unintended consequences."
Curriculum requirements have been modified to take into account disruption and changes to learning.
The minister also this week announced £7m of funding towards mentoring and revision support for all pupils in exam years 10, 11, and 12, and 13 in schools and colleges.
£1.2m is also being provided for developing new revision materials for GCSE students.
