Parents of children due to sit post-primary transfer tests have voiced frustration that they could be cancelled in a fresh lockdown.
Private companies AQE and PPTC, which run the tests, are expected to announce later whether they will go ahead.
First Minister Arlene Foster indicated last night that a period of remote learning for schoolchildren will be extended amid soaring coronavirus cases.
The Stormont executive is set to meet later to confirm details of the proposal, but it is believed it could extend beyond January.
With 12,507 fresh diagnoses of Covid-19 over the last seven days, ministers are also expected to order people to stay at home to stop the spread of the virus legally enforceable.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland is set to receive £127 million from the British treasury for lockdown grants to support businesses forced to close.
The first of the five post-primary transfer test papers is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
Children's Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma, along with Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, Stormont Education Committee chairman Chris Lyttle (Alliance) and SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan have pressed for the tests to be cancelled.
However some parents say it is too late to cancel the tests, which have already been delayed from autumn when they are normally sat.
Phil Meredith, from South Belfast, said his daughter has been working hard for the tests.
"All the hard work my daughter has been doing since the start of last year for this test is wasted," he said.
"All the stress and tears, and now it potentially isn't going ahead.
"My daughter has a better chance of getting in to grammar school through the AQE rather than the sub criteria."
Naomi McBurney, who runs the campaign Bring It Back To Primary, said parents are very divided on the matter.
"There are parents who are very concerned that if their child doesn't get the opportunity to sit the test, then they are going to be disadvantaged; for example, if they have an eldest child or only child, the main thing for them would be that the test was a more fair way for them to get access to a school that they want to go to," she said.
"It's quite frustrating for those opposed to the test because they are saying the country has had to sacrifice so much.
"The problem is the alternative criteria for schools isn't transparent as yet. The 12 schools that said they would cancel the test back in June have indicated that it would be sub criteria - so if you had a child already at the school, or if you have a parent that had previously attended the school or a member of the family on the board of governors - similar to that of nurseries, not based on academic criteria."
Ms McBurney has been running a campaign which urges that children be allowed to sit the transfer test in their own school, instead of having to travel to a large testing centre.
She has also called for reform of the system, with testing regulated by the Department of Education and reduced from children potentially sitting up to five papers if they take both the AQE and PPTC tests, to one.
The department-set transfer test was previously abolished, with the last 11-plus paper sat in 2008.
Meanwhile, a Co Down principal warned that closing schools is a "disaster" for children.
Teachers should have been able to begin planning online lessons before Christmas, said Kevin Donaghy, from St Ronan's Primary School in Newry.
Instead they have had to duplicate everything for physical teaching conditions.
Mr Donaghy said: "My staff are completely devastated.
"We were all gearing up for coming back."
