英国威尔士地区将取消 2021 年夏季的 GCSE 考试（英国普通初级中学毕业文凭）、 AS-level 考试（高级补充程度会考）和 A-level 考试（普通中等教育证书考试高级水平课程），学生成绩将基于课堂评估。威尔士教育部部长柯丝蒂·威廉姆斯（ Kirsty Williams ）表示，由于受新冠肺炎疫情的持续影响，不可能保证考试能够在公平的竞争环境下进行。

After months of uncertainty, pupils studying A-levels, AS-levels and GCSEs across Wales now know they won’t be sitting exams next summer. Instead, they face assessments under teacher supervision to start in the second half of the spring term. They will be externally set and marked but delivered in a classroom setting.

经历了几个月的忐忑不安后，在威尔士地区学习 A-level 课程、AS-level 课程以及 GCSE 课程的学生们现在得知他们明年夏天不用参加这些课程的考试。取而代之的是，他们将在老师的监督下，从春季学期的下半学期开始接受评估。评估将由校外机构设置和评分，但会在课堂中进行。

The Education Minister Kirsty Williams says the change is needed to allow for a level playing field, and that the result from each school will be played into an agreed ‘national approach’ to provide consistency across Wales.

威尔士教育部部长柯丝蒂·威廉姆斯认为这个变化是必要的，以给学生提供一个公平的竞争环境。每所学校的评估结果将参照经过商议决定的 “全威尔士地区指导方针”，以保证威尔士各地评估标准的一致性。

The decision follows a regrading row last summer and two reviews – one by the exam body Qualifications Wales, the other by an independent panel – which recommended scrapping most or all of the exams.

这项决定是在今夏一场要求重新评定学生成绩的争论以及两次复审之后做出的，其中一次复审由考试监管机构 “威尔士资格证书”（Qualifications Wales）执行，另一次复审由一个独立小组执行，两次复审均建议取消大部分或全部的考试。

词汇表

pupils 小学生，此处泛指学生
sitting exams 参加考试
assessments 评估
supervision 监督
term 学期
set （考核内容）设置
marked 给评分
a level playing field 一个公平的竞争环境
regrading 重新打分
reviews 评审
scrapping 取消

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. True or false? According to the text, GCSEs, AS-levels and A-levels are cancelled in 2021 across the UK.

2. What will pupils in Wales face instead of their GCSEs, AS-levels and A-levels?

3. How will these exam replacements be set and marked?

4. Who conducted the two reviews which resulted in the decision to cancel the exams?

答案

1. True or false? According to the text, GCSEs, AS-levels and A-levels are cancelled in 2021 across the UK.
False. According to the text, they are cancelled in Wales, one of the UK’s four countries.

2. What will pupils in Wales face instead of their GCSEs, AS-levels and A-levels?
They will face assessments under teacher supervision to start in the second half of the spring term.

3. How will these exam replacements be set and marked?
They will be set and marked externally, meaning not by the school or the teachers.

4. Who conducted the two reviews which resulted in the decision to cancel the exams? 
The two reviews were conducted separately by the exam body Qualifications Wales and an independent panel.