IB Exams Cancelled in the UAE: What the Non-Exam Route Means for Your Child in 2026

IB May 2026 exams in the UAE have been officially cancelled. Your child's final Diploma Programme or Career-related Programme grades will now be awarded through the IB's Non-Exam Contingency Measure (NECM), meaning Internal Assessments and teacher predicted grades will determine everything. Here is exactly what that means, who it helps, who it hurts, and what you should do today.

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What Happened: The UAE IB Exam Cancellation

On 30 March 2026, parents across the UAE received the news: the International Baccalaureate cancelled all May 2026 Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme examinations in the country. The exams had been scheduled to run from 27 April to 20 May 2026.

The decision followed consultation with the UAE Ministry of Education after remote learning was extended until at least 17 April 2026 due to ongoing regional security concerns. With schools operating online and physical exam venues unavailable, the IB activated its Non-Exam Contingency Measure, the same safety-led, last-resort framework used globally during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Bahrain has since also been confirmed as moving to the NECM, with IB exams not taking place there either.

On 15 April 2026, the UAE Ministry of Education confirmed that all nurseries, kindergartens, and public and private schools would resume in-person classes on Monday 20 April 2026. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced the same date for the return of all public and private higher education institutions to on-campus learning. Private schools were permitted to adopt a hybrid rotational model where needed, subject to approval from local education authorities and each school's readiness. Private early childhood centres in Dubai began a phased return to on-site learning from Thursday 16 April, starting with those based in government and commercial buildings.

On Monday 20 April 2026, more than one million students across the UAE returned to classrooms, ending more than five weeks of nationwide remote learning. School bus services resumed the same day, and many schools introduced staggered start times, redesigned entry and exit systems, and hybrid learning options for families not yet ready for a full return. The reopening came as the 8 April US-Iran ceasefire continued to hold across the region. The return to in-person learning does not, however, reverse the exam cancellations already announced by the IB, Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel, OxfordAQA, CBSE, or CISCE: the alternative assessment routes remain in place for the May/June 2026 series.

One week on, the picture continues to normalise. Following KHDA approval over the weekend of 25 to 26 April, Dubai schools began a phased return to outdoor activities from Monday 27 April 2026. Outdoor PE lessons, break periods, assemblies, graduation ceremonies, and other on-site events have resumed, with co-curricular activities (CCAs) scheduled to restart on Wednesday 29 April 2026. Schools are continuing risk assessments, staff supervision, and emergency preparedness measures.

By the start of May, the return to in-person learning was near complete. Schools across the UAE began phasing out live online classes as campus attendance approached full capacity, with parents receiving circulars confirming that synchronous online lessons would no longer be offered. Hybrid or distance learning support was kept available only in approved, exceptional cases.

That picture changed on the afternoon of Monday 4 May 2026. Iran launched its first attack on the UAE since the 8 April US-Iran ceasefire, and the UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed that air defence systems intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones. A drone strike caused a fire at Fujairah Oil Industries Zone, and three Indian citizens were moderately injured. Within hours, the UAE Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced a temporary return to distance learning for all nurseries, public and private schools, and higher education institutions from Tuesday 5 May to Friday 8 May 2026. Dubai's KHDA confirmed the same arrangement for all private educational institutions in the emirate. Priority higher education programmes that require clinical training, laboratory use, direct practical or field application, or in-person exams remain exempt and continue on campus.

The disruption did not stop there. On Tuesday 5 May 2026, the UAE came under Iranian missile and drone attack for a second consecutive day. The UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed that air defence systems again intercepted incoming threats. Late on the evening of 5 May, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) issued a public statement denying it had carried out any missile or drone operations against the UAE in recent days, leaving the source of the attacks officially contested. Diplomatic channels also moved: US President Trump signalled progress in negotiations toward a final agreement with Iran, and a US-led pause was announced in efforts to escort stranded vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday 8 May 2026, the UAE Ministry of Defence reported that air defence systems intercepted a further two ballistic missiles and three drones launched from Iran. US forces also engaged two Iranian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on the same day. President Trump publicly insisted that the US-Iran ceasefire remains in effect, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US expected an Iranian response to a draft agreement. Following an end-of-week assessment, the UAE Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research initially indicated that the approved learning model for the week beginning Monday 11 May would be confirmed on the evening of Sunday 10 May 2026.

On Sunday 10 May 2026, that decision was announced. The UAE Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research confirmed that all public and private schools, nurseries, universities, and higher education institutions across the country would resume in-person learning from Monday 11 May 2026. Dubai's KHDA confirmed the same arrangement for all private educational institutions in the emirate. The ministries reaffirmed that examinations and international assessments would proceed in person according to approved schedules, and that institutions remain prepared to activate alternative learning models if regional conditions change again. The reopening went ahead on Monday 11 May as planned, even as the wider security picture remained unsettled: on Sunday 10 May, the UAE shot down two drones, Kuwait reported hostile drones in its airspace, and a drone struck a commercial vessel sailing from Abu Dhabi in Qatari waters about 23 nautical miles north-east of Doha. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack on the ship in Qatar's territorial waters. On the diplomatic track, Iran transmitted its response to the latest US ceasefire proposal via Pakistani mediators on the same day, and President Trump publicly rejected the counter-proposal, even as the Trump administration insisted that the 8 April US-Iran ceasefire remains in effect. For Year 12 and Year 13 students, the four-day shift back to remote learning was unsettling but brief; importantly, neither the temporary distance learning period nor the return to campus reinstates any cancelled exams or changes the alternative assessment routes already in place for the May/June 2026 series. The cancellations announced by the IB, Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel, OxfordAQA, CBSE, and CISCE remain in effect.

This is not just an IB story. The cancellations have now hit every major exam board operating in the region:

• CBSE: All Class 10 and Class 12 board exams cancelled across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Iran, affecting over 50,000 students at 150+ schools. Six official circulars were issued between 1 and 15 March 2026. CBSE has since announced a hybrid assessment scheme for Class 12 students (see details below). Class 10 provisional results were declared on 15 April 2026, with improvement exams beginning 15 May. CBSE Class 12 results were declared on 12 May 2026; students can access marksheets on cbseresults.nic.in, results.cbse.nic.in, DigiLocker, and the UMANG app.
• CISCE: The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations cancelled ICSE (Class 10) and ISC (Class 12) board exams for all UAE centres on 13 March 2026, after a series of postponements of exams originally scheduled from 2 March. Results were awarded using an alternative assessment mechanism based on internal school performance, prior tests, and project work, and were declared on 30 April 2026 at 11:00 AM India time. The national ICSE pass rate is 99.18%, and several Dubai schools have reported 100% pass rates with strong individual results: at Ambassador School Dubai, two ISC students each secured 99.5% (joint World Rank 3). Students who are not satisfied with the marks awarded under this scheme may sit a CISCE Improvement Examination. Results are available at cisce.org, results.cisce.org, and on DigiLocker.
• OxfordAQA: The first UK board to confirm cancellation of its Summer 2026 International GCSE and A Level exams, initially in the UAE on 31 March. OxfordAQA has since extended the cancellation to Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. Schools in all four countries will submit evidence of student performance digitally from 1 May to 12 June 2026, alongside a Head of Centre declaration and predicted grades.
• Pearson Edexcel: International GCSE, International A Level, and iPLS exams cancelled in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Lebanon for the May/June 2026 series. Pearson has since published its contingency grading process: schools must apply for "International Contingency Grading" and submit evidence of student performance (ideally a full set of past papers sat under exam conditions). Where this is not possible, alternative evidence such as mock papers or coursework may be submitted. Speaking assessments may be conducted remotely via video call, and non-examined assessment deadlines have been extended by two weeks.
• Cambridge International: Cambridge has confirmed that schools in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Lebanon will not sit traditional exams in the June 2026 series. Instead, students taking Cambridge IGCSE, O Level, AS and A Level, and IPQ will be assessed through a portfolio of evidence route. Schools must submit portfolios by 12 June 2026. Cambridge has also extended its 27 April submission deadline for coursework marks and samples (for subjects with coursework components) to 7 May for some schools in the Middle East.

In short, if your child is studying in the UAE under any major international or Indian curriculum, final exams as they knew them are off the table for this session. And the disruption now extends well beyond the UAE: all three UK boards (Pearson, Cambridge, and OxfordAQA) have cancelled across Bahrain and Kuwait; both Pearson and OxfordAQA have cancelled in Qatar; and Pearson and Cambridge have also cancelled in Lebanon. The IB has now cancelled in both the UAE and Bahrain.

How the NECM Works: Your Child's Grade Without an Exam

If your child is an IB Diploma or CP student in the UAE or Bahrain, their final grade will be calculated using two components:

1. Internal Assessments (IAs)

Every IB subject includes coursework that is completed during the programme and then sent to IB examiners for external marking. In the sciences, this is a lab-based investigation. In English, it is the Individual Oral (IO). In maths, it is the exploration. These pieces of work have always counted toward the final grade, but under the NECM they carry significantly more weight. Your child's IA is now the single most important piece of academic work they have produced in the entire two-year programme.

Importantly, the IB has extended the coursework submission deadline from 15 March to 15 April 2026 for schools across the Middle East. If your child's school has not yet submitted all IAs, there may still be a narrow window to make final improvements. Speak to the IB coordinator at your child's school immediately.

2. Teacher Predicted Grades

Teachers submit predicted grades based on all available evidence of student learning: classwork, mock exams, internal tests, and day-to-day academic performance. The IB then cross-references these predictions against historical data and the school's track record to check for consistency and fairness.

The IB has stated it will apply "rigorous cross-checks to ensure consistency with global standards." In practice, this means the algorithm compares your child's IA mark and predicted grade against what students with similar profiles at your school have achieved in previous years.

CBSE Class 12 Assessment Scheme: How Marks Will Be Calculated

CBSE has now announced the specific alternative assessment scheme for Class 12 students in the Middle East. Understanding how it works is essential for families at CBSE schools.

For subjects with 80 or 70 maximum marks in the theory component, CBSE will use the highest obtained marks from the student's quarterly, half-yearly, and pre-board examinations. Schools will provide these marks directly to the board. For subjects with 60, 50, or 30 maximum marks, the result will be based on the marks secured in the final pre-board examination. If a student was absent for the pre-board, marks from earlier internal exams will be used instead.

Schools uploaded marks to the CBSE portal between 6 and 13 April 2026. These uploaded marks were treated as final. CBSE declared Class 12 results on 12 May 2026; students can check their scorecards on cbseresults.nic.in, results.cbse.nic.in, DigiLocker, and the UMANG app. Students who did not achieve passing marks in any subject can sit compartmental exams in July 2026.

For Class 10 students, provisional results were declared on 15 April 2026. Only papers sat between 17 and 28 February were examined; all remaining subjects were assessed using a structured averaging method based on each student's best-performing papers. These results are provisional, and final mark sheets will be issued after a second round of board examinations. Improvement exams begin on 15 May 2026, giving students the chance to retake papers and raise their scores. Results are available on cbse.gov.in, DigiLocker, and the UMANG app.

Winners and Losers: The Reality of the Non-Exam Route

This is the part that matters most, and it is worth being direct about it. The NECM creates winners and losers. It did in 2020 and 2021, and it will again in 2026.

Who benefits

Students who produced strong IAs but struggled with timed exam conditions stand to gain significantly. Consider this real example from the 2020 NECM: two students studying SL Analysis and Approaches maths were predicted a 4 by their teacher. They were genuinely weak exam performers. But their IAs, once externally marked, came back as a 6. The IB's algorithm awarded them a final grade of 5. Without sitting a single exam paper, they gained a full grade above their predicted level.

Who loses

Students who were banking on a strong final exam performance to compensate for weaker coursework are now in trouble. In 2020, one student predicted a 7 submitted an IA that was marked as a 5. The IB awarded a final grade of 6. That single grade drop cost her a conditional offer at Oxford University. She needed a 7; the NECM gave her a 6. No exam meant no chance to prove she deserved the higher mark.

The lesson is brutally simple: under the NECM, your child's IA is king.

Feeling unsure about where your child's IA stands? Our team of IB examiners and experienced teachers can review coursework and identify exactly where marks are being left on the table. Talk to our Client Success Manager.

The Broader GCC Impact: Uncertainty Everywhere

The exam disruption is not limited to the UAE. Students across the Gulf are living through a period of extreme academic uncertainty.

Bahrain and Kuwait have now been directly affected by all three UK boards: Pearson Edexcel, Cambridge International, and OxfordAQA have all cancelled IGCSE and A Level exams in both countries for the May/June 2026 series. Qatar has been affected by both Pearson and OxfordAQA. Lebanon has been affected by both Pearson and Cambridge. CBSE board exams were also cancelled across the wider Middle East, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Iran. The IB has now confirmed that exams will not take place in Bahrain as well as the UAE, with students in both countries moving to the NECM.

For IB students in Qatar and the wider Gulf, the IB has confirmed "flexibility measures" are in place, though a full NECM activation (like in the UAE and Bahrain) depends on whether local governments formally instruct that exams cannot be held.

In Saudi Arabia and Oman, IB students are watching the situation closely. The IB has stated it prefers to hold exams wherever possible and will only implement the NECM when instructed by local governments that exams cannot be safely conducted. Oman is currently proceeding with IB examinations as planned. This means students in these countries are currently in limbo: preparing for exams that may or may not happen, while simultaneously needing to ensure their coursework is airtight in case a sudden shift occurs.

The IB has, however, offered concrete support to all Middle East students regardless of whether NECM is activated in their country. Students across Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE can transfer their registration to an IB World School in another country, defer their May 2026 exams to a later session at no extra cost, or withdraw from the May 2026 session entirely with a full refund. These options provide meaningful flexibility for families weighing up their choices.

Student petitions have emerged across the region, with IGCSE and A Level students in the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iran, Palestine, and Iraq asking Cambridge and other boards to cancel exams and offer alternative assessment routes. The frustration is understandable: how can one country's students receive a non-exam route while students next door, facing the same regional instability, are expected to sit papers as normal?

For families in the wider GCC, the strategy right now is to prepare on two fronts. Continue revision as if exams will happen. But also ensure every piece of coursework, every IA, every internal assessment is as polished as possible, because the ground could shift overnight.

Looking After Your Child's Wellbeing

It is easy to focus entirely on grades and deadlines right now, but this level of uncertainty takes a real toll on students. Many have spent months preparing for exams that will no longer happen. Others are anxious about whether coursework they completed months ago will fairly represent their ability. Some feel relieved; others feel cheated of the chance to prove themselves.

All of these reactions are normal. As a parent, the most helpful thing you can do is acknowledge that this is a stressful and disorienting time. Encourage your child to stay engaged with their studies (the work still matters for predicted grades), but also make space for rest and honest conversations about how they are feeling. Students who maintain a steady routine and feel supported at home tend to produce their best work during periods of disruption. The week of 5 to 8 May, with two days of attacks and a temporary return to remote learning, was unsettling for families who had only just settled back into in-person routines after the 20 April reopening. With UAE classrooms back open from Monday 11 May, and the Ministry of Education confirming that examinations and international assessments will proceed in person according to approved schedules, the priority now is steadying daily structure at home, supporting your child to rebuild momentum on coursework and predicted-grade evidence, and reassuring them that the alternative assessment routes already in place for this exam series are not changing.

University Admissions: Will NECM Grades Be Accepted?

This is the question keeping parents awake at night. The short answer: almost certainly yes, for the vast majority of universities. And there is growing evidence to back this up: multiple UAE-based universities have already announced formal policy changes to accommodate students affected by the cancellations.

The IB has confirmed it is actively communicating with universities worldwide to explain the NECM and reassure admissions teams. Crucially, the IB has also confirmed that final transcripts will not indicate whether a student's results were awarded through the NECM. For universities, results are treated in the same way as any other IB grades. This means your child's transcript will look identical to that of a student who sat traditional exams. Headteachers across the UAE have stressed that IB results awarded under contingency measures hold full global credibility. Universities dealt with NECM results extensively in 2020 and 2021; this is familiar territory for admissions offices.

Closer to home, UAE universities have moved quickly. Heriot-Watt University Dubai is accepting predicted scores, internal assessments, and alternative evaluation metrics, and has extended its application and admission deadlines. Amity University is assessing undergraduate admissions using predicted scores, internal academic performance, and formal school recommendations. MAHE Dubai has announced a Dh25 million scholarship initiative, and Curtin University has introduced bursaries of up to Dh10,000 under its Gulf Community Grant. These measures signal that local higher education institutions are determined to ensure no student loses their place because of circumstances beyond their control.

However, "the vast majority" is not "all." There are important exceptions:

• Competitive programmes: Medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, and other programmes with strict grade requirements may not accept NECM results. Some students have already been told by their target universities that they will need to sit the actual exams.
• Specific university policies: Each institution sets its own policy. Your child's conditional offer letter is the document that matters. If it specifies exam-based results, you need written confirmation from admissions that NECM results are acceptable.

Two things every family should do today:

1. Contact your child's school and ask whether there is still time to revise or resubmit any IA work. Even small improvements to coursework can shift the final grade.
2. Contact your target university admissions office directly to confirm they will accept NECM results. Do not assume. Get it in writing.

Your Child's Options if NECM Is Not Enough

If your child's university will not accept NECM results, or if they feel the non-exam route will not reflect their true ability, there are alternatives:

• Sit exams overseas: Some families are exploring the option of having their child sit IB exams at an international school in a country where exams are still being held. The IB is now formally supporting this by allowing students to transfer their registration to another IB World School at no additional cost.
• Defer to November 2026: The IB offers a November exam session, and students in the Middle East can now defer at no extra cost. Deferring gives your child time to prepare and sit the papers, but it also means a gap before university entry. Check with your target university whether a November result is compatible with their intake dates.
• Withdraw with a full refund: If neither the NECM nor an alternative exam sitting works for your family, the IB is offering full refunds for students who withdraw from the May 2026 session.
• Maximise the NECM outcome: For most students, the smartest move is to focus all energy on producing the strongest possible IA and building the evidence base for the highest defensible predicted grade. This means continuing to perform at peak level during remote learning, because teachers need concrete evidence to justify their predictions.

How ++tutors Can Help Right Now

The shift from exam preparation to coursework optimisation changes the type of support your child needs. At ++tutors, our tutors include current and former IB examiners who know exactly how IAs are marked externally. Here is what we can do in the weeks ahead:

• IA review and polish: If your child's school allows revisions, our tutors can identify where marks are being lost and guide improvements. Even a 1-2 mark gain on an IA can shift the final grade boundary.
• Predicted grade strategy: We help students produce high-quality work during remote learning that gives teachers the evidence they need to justify the highest possible predicted grade.
• Subject-specific support: Whether it is a Chemistry IA, an English IO, or a Maths exploration, our tutors specialise in the exact criteria IB examiners use to award marks.
• University communication support: We can help families draft clear, professional communications to admissions offices confirming NECM acceptance.

For a deeper look at what makes a top-scoring science IA, read our guide: How to Write a Science IB IA That Scores a 7. And for a full overview of the IB Diploma pathway, see How to Achieve Your IB Diploma: A Step-by-Step Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my child still receive an IB Diploma?

Yes. The NECM is an officially recognised IB assessment route. Your child will receive a full IB Diploma or CP certificate, with grades calculated from their Internal Assessments and teacher predicted grades. The diploma holds the same status as one earned through traditional exams.

When will IB results be released?

The global IB results release date remains Monday 6 July 2026. Students in the UAE and Bahrain who receive their grades through the NECM will get their results on the same day as IB students worldwide. Final transcripts will not indicate that the results were awarded through the NECM; universities will see the same format as any exam-based result.

Can my child's IA still be revised or improved?

The IB has extended the coursework submission deadline to 15 April 2026 for schools across the Middle East. Whether your child can still make changes depends on your school's internal deadlines and the IB's policies for your specific subjects. Contact your child's IB coordinator immediately to ask whether any revisions are still possible.

How are teacher predicted grades determined?

Teachers base their predictions on all available evidence: mock exam results, classwork, internal assessments, participation in remote learning, and overall academic performance across the two-year programme. The IB cross-checks these predictions against the school's historical data to ensure consistency.

How will CBSE Class 12 marks be calculated and when are results out?

CBSE used a hybrid evaluation system. For subjects with 80 or 70 maximum theory marks, the board took the highest obtained marks from quarterly, half-yearly, and pre-board exams. For subjects with 60, 50, or 30 maximum marks, the final pre-board exam result was used. Schools uploaded marks between 6 and 13 April 2026. CBSE Class 12 results were declared on 12 May 2026 and can be accessed on cbseresults.nic.in, results.cbse.nic.in, DigiLocker, and the UMANG app. Students who did not pass any subject can sit compartmental exams in July 2026.

What about CBSE Class 10 results?

CBSE declared provisional Class 10 results on 15 April 2026. Only papers sat between 17 and 28 February were examined; remaining subjects were assessed using a structured averaging method based on students' best-performing papers. These results are provisional. Improvement exams begin on 15 May 2026, and final mark sheets will be issued after those exams. Results can be checked on cbse.gov.in, DigiLocker, and the UMANG app.

What about CISCE (ICSE and ISC) students in the UAE?

CISCE declared ICSE (Class 10) and ISC (Class 12) results on 30 April 2026 at 11:00 AM India time. UAE students whose exams were cancelled were graded using an alternative assessment mechanism based on internal school performance, prior tests, and project work. The national ICSE pass rate is 99.18%, and several Dubai schools have reported 100% pass rates, with strong individual results including two ISC students at Ambassador School Dubai who jointly placed World Rank 3 with 99.5%. Students who are not satisfied with the marks they received under this scheme can sit a CISCE Improvement Examination. Results are available at cisce.org, results.cisce.org, and on DigiLocker.

Have UAE schools reopened for in-person learning?

UAE schools and universities resumed in-person learning on Monday 20 April 2026, with more than one million students returning to classrooms after more than five weeks of distance education. By the start of May, the return to campus was near complete. On Monday 4 May 2026, Iran launched a missile and drone attack on the UAE, the first since the 8 April US-Iran ceasefire, and the UAE intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones. A second day of attacks followed on 5 May, and a further round of interceptions was reported on Friday 8 May. In response, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research moved all nurseries, public and private schools, and higher education institutions to distance learning from Tuesday 5 May to Friday 8 May 2026, with Dubai's KHDA confirming the same arrangement for private institutions in the emirate. On Sunday 10 May 2026, the ministries confirmed that all schools, nurseries, universities, and higher education institutions across the UAE would resume in-person learning from Monday 11 May 2026, and the reopening went ahead as planned, with examinations and international assessments proceeding in person according to approved schedules. Institutions remain prepared to activate alternative learning models if regional conditions change again, and the wider security picture stayed unsettled into the reopening: on Sunday 10 May, the UAE shot down two drones, Kuwait reported drones in its airspace, and a drone struck a commercial vessel in Qatari waters off Doha. Importantly, neither the temporary remote learning period nor the return to campus reverses the cancellations already announced by the major exam boards: alternative assessment routes remain in place for the May/June 2026 series.

Will UK and US universities accept NECM results?

The IB is communicating with universities globally, and the expectation is that the vast majority will accept NECM results, as they did in 2020 and 2021. The IB has confirmed that final transcripts will not indicate whether results were awarded through the NECM, so universities will see the same format as any exam-based result. However, some competitive programmes (particularly medicine) may require exam-based results. Contact your target university's admissions office directly to confirm.

What options do IB students in the wider Middle East have?

The IB is offering all students in the Middle East (including Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) three options: transfer registration to an IB World School in another country, defer to a later exam session at no extra cost, or withdraw from the May 2026 session with a full refund. Contact your school's IB coordinator for details on how to apply.

What about students in Qatar and other GCC countries?

The picture varies by exam board and country. Pearson Edexcel has cancelled IGCSE and A Level exams in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Lebanon. OxfordAQA has cancelled in Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Cambridge International has cancelled in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Lebanon. CBSE has cancelled Class 10 and 12 exams across the entire Gulf region. CISCE has cancelled ICSE and ISC exams in the UAE. For IB, exams are now confirmed cancelled in both the UAE and Bahrain. For IB students in Qatar and other GCC countries, the IB has flexibility measures in place, but a full NECM activation depends on direction from each country's government. Oman is currently proceeding with IB exams as planned. Students in Saudi Arabia and Oman should continue preparing for exams as scheduled while ensuring their coursework is as strong as possible. The situation is evolving daily, so stay in close contact with your school.