Important information: COVID-19 (coronavirus) Dear Head of School/Coordinator, The COVID-19 pandemic is causing disruption for many IB schools, students, educators and families. We have deep empathy for the impact this is having on over 200,000 IB students across the globe and are currently reviewing all available options. We are gathering feedback from schools, students, universities and official bodies to determine the most judicious way forward. It is critical for us to ensure that the options we provide for our schools globally are done with compassion for our students and teachers, and fairness for the difficult circumstances our students and educators are experiencing. Ultimately, we want to ensure that our students have every chance of success as they pursue university entry or future career plans. Our students are at the forefront of our thinking as we navigate this extraordinary global pandemic. We are working through these options with the utmost urgency and will provide you with a decision on the May 2020 examination session no later than 27 March 2020. Further information on the options available to you and your students will be provided following the decision. In the meantime, we have provided comprehensive FAQs which are regularly updated and available on our website. The FAQs include the deadline extensions, advice on completing eCoursework using video/voice calls, advice for online learning and much more. Assessment Deadlines Although we have provided extensions, we advise that you submit student work as soon as you are able. We know that many of you have already begun submitting your students' work. Thank you for all of your efforts to continue teaching and learning and submitting work as close to the deadlines as possible. University Admissions As part of our wider actions we are exploring solutions to provide your students with official documentation for use with university admissions in the event that they are unable to sit some or all of their examinations. We are continuing to communicate regularly with universities globally to inform them of the actions we are taking, additional data we are able to provide and the situation our schools are facing. We hope that you find these updates useful, please do share this information with your school administrators, educators and parents. We, at the IB, are treating the challenges that this situation is presenting for our global community very seriously. There is a lot that may change in the coming days and weeks but be assured we will do everything we can to support our school communities as we navigate these challenges together. Keep well. Paula Wilcock Adrian Kearney Chief Assessment Officer Director IB World Schools