Students and Parents Ask Cambridge to Change Exam Schedule

ISLAMABAD: Parents, students, and school associations in Pakistan are calling on Cambridge International to revise its current exam schedule after repeated clashes have left candidates overwhelmed and exhausted.

In many cases, students are being forced to sit for two or even three exams in a single day. The back-to-back papers are not only taking a mental toll but also causing physical fatigue, with students reporting sore hands and burnout.

“We’re paying lacs for these exams. The least Cambridge can do is give students a fair chance by avoiding same-day paper clashes,” said one frustrated parent, who added that parents often wait all day outside exam centres while their children take multiple exams.

Academic and activist Kashif Mirza, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Federation, said billions are being paid to Cambridge from Pakistan alone, yet students face immense pressure due to poor scheduling. “Two exams in one day make it hard to do justice to either subject,” he said.

Mirza urged Cambridge to upgrade its scheduling systems, even suggesting the use of AI to design better timetables and leave buffer days between papers.

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Cambridge International’s country head Uzma Yusuf acknowledged the concern but attributed the issue to the wide variety of subjects and differing exam durations.