Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the IB has offered two routes for this May 2021 assessment for the IB  Diploma , first route will be no-exam  and use coursework, IA and predicted grades to assess final grade, whilst
second route will be exams.  Selection of either route depends on the pandemic status in each school area. Several countries have already chosen the no-exam  route. Currently, students enrolled in the exam route will undergo a 3-week examination period for which they have to prepare diligently whereas students in the non-exam route have concluded their studies for the year and will ultimately receive the same diploma as the other students despite completing a significantly reduced amount of work. Given that the coursework, assignments, and internal assessments will be graded in the same way, it is evident that the exam route is the same as the non-exam route with the exception of the added significant burden of exams which will account for roughly 80% of students’ overall grade in some courses. To ensure fairness between the two routes, Students who are enrolled in the exam route shall be given the privilege of improving their marks if their exam scores are greater than those achieved on the coursework. If exam marks are lower than the coursework, IA, and predicted grades, then the latter shall prevail. This will ensure that the students in the exam route who have expended greater effort are not penalized for sitting exams and are fairly treated.