Provided that the schedules are met, the results of the Pan-Cyprus Examinations are expected to be announced by July 24, the results of the Pan-Cyprian Examinations to be announced, as the Head of the Examinations Service, Socrates Mylonas, told KYPE on Friday, following the completion of this year’s exam period today.

“With many reservations, we hope by July 24,” said Mr. Mylonas, when asked about the date for the announcement of the results of the Pan-Cyprian exams, clarifying that the allocation of spots at Cyprus’s public universities will be announced alongside the Pan-Cyprian exam results.

As he explained, the process for applying for spots at universities in Greece will follow a few days later, with a relevant announcement from the Ministry of Education.

The Pan-Cyprus Examinations conclude today with the common-core Mathematics exam, which is being taken by just over 2,000 candidates.

Referring to this year’s exam period, Mr. Mylonas said that, so far, the process has proceeded without any serious problems.

“Overall, our exams have gone smoothly. We haven’t had any major incidents or issues so far,” he said, adding that the grading of the first written exams has already begun, while several stages remain before the results are finalized.

Regarding incidents of cheating, the Head of the Examination Service said that one case was reported and investigated, but ultimately no violation was confirmed.

“It was ultimately determined that there was no issue, so the candidate’s exam was forwarded for grading,” he said, explaining that proctors are required to document even suspicions of cheating so that these can be investigated after the exam is completed.

When asked about reactions regarding the difficulty of the questions, Mr. Mylonas said that there had been isolated comments from candidates, mainly after the Mathematics exam, though there was no overall consensus.

Furthermore, referring to the purpose of the Pan-Cyprian exams, Mr. Mylonas noted that these exams serve a different purpose than the high school graduation exams, as they are intended to rank candidates for admission to public universities.

“We want to distinguish between candidates, and the goal is not for them to achieve the highest possible score, but to be ranked in a reliable manner so that the best among them can compete for spots at universities,” he said.

When asked to comment on the current system, which separates high school graduation exams from the Pan-Cyprian exams, Mr. Mylonas expressed the view that it better serves the different purposes of the two processes.

“With a single exam, it is very difficult to both assess a student’s knowledge and reliably rank them for university admission. Now we have the flexibility to include more challenging questions that better distinguish candidates at the highest levels of the scoring scale,” he said.

He added that the final evaluation of the exam questions will take place after today’s exam is completed and candidates’ feedback has been collected, noting that “the real test is always during the exam itself—how the candidates react.”

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Source: CNA