WHILE much of the response to coronavirus has appeared to be `let's see what Boris says first' - Northern Ireland is ahead of Britain on how to cope with cancelled exams.
GCSE and A-level exams will not go ahead as planned this summer.
Instead, teachers will use measures including past performance and predicted grades to come to a fair assessment of ability.
Universities will also adjust their admissions procedures.
The north and Britain both use the same type of exams but there are significant differences.
Michael Gove scrapped GCSE coursework in England. The north retained it.
England made the AS-level a standalone exam. AS-levels in the north still count towards the final A-level.
Mr Gove's A-level reforms scrapped modular exams while the north retained them.
With a broader range of tools, Northern Ireland schools are in a stronger place to give a more accurate assessment. There is much more of an evidence base on which to make judgements.
The north's exams board - the CCEA - also has a range of tried and tested methods for awarding grades, which it will explore alongside other options with its counterparts across the UK.
It plans to prioritise final solutions for A-level examinations, the AS level qualifications and finally modular GCSEs.
The board recognises that these are unprecedented circumstances, and its decisions will be challenging. The promise is that any solution will be fair and reliable.
Pupils, therefore, should be reassured they will not be disadvantaged.
Amid calls from school leaders for GCSEs to be scrapped or reformed, a different system could easily emerge at the end of this.
