More than 20 IGCSE schools managed by the British Council taking an ICT exam on Thursday, April 19, with Ain Shams University as the venue, faced over 9 hours of delays, medical cases, and a last-minute venue change before finally sitting their exam at 10 PM, under the organization of the British Council.Over the past few hours, IGCSE students in Egypt have reported serious concerns following the ICT examination held on Thursday at Ain Shams University, which was organized by the British Council.
For context, ICT exams for IGCSE students are practical exams conducted on computers. Each year, groups of schools are assigned to specific venues, usually universities or examination centres, by the British Council. While these exams follow strict timing and security procedures, what happened Thursday appears to go far beyond standard protocol.
Several teachers, students, and parents took to social media to speak up about the situation. The group assigned to Ain Shams University reportedly included around 26 schools, an unusually large number of students to accommodate in a single venue.
The exam was scheduled for 2 PM on April 16, and students were instructed to arrive at least two hours earlier to allow time for seating and organization.
We reached out to one of the students who was present during the incident at Ain Shams University, where the ICT exam was being held under the organization of the British Council, who shared a detailed account of what happened throughout the day.
According to the student, they arrived at 11:00 AM and were placed in a hall, expected to remain there until 1:15 PM before heading to the labs to begin the exam at 2:00 PM sharp.
At 1:30 PM, students were told to go downstairs, suggesting the exam was about to start. Instead, they were left standing outside in the sun for a long period with no explanation. This continued until around 3:30 PM, when a supervisor said there was a major issue with the computers that could take another hour to fix.
During this time, students were sitting on the pavement. They had two options: remain outside in the sun or sit in a closed, garage-like space filled with machines and smoke, creating an uncomfortable environment. The student, who mentioned having a sensitivity, chose to stay outside.
As the hours passed, water ran out, there was no access to food, and students were not allowed to leave to buy anything.
At around 4:30 PM, some students tried to file reports about what was happening. However, invigilators were described as rude and dismissive, with some ignoring students and others denying that filing reports was even possible.
Students also did not have access to their phones, leaving parents completely unaware of the situation.
The situation escalated when multiple students fainted. The student reported witnessing one case where no one initially helped except friends, with no immediate response from supervisors or medical staff. Several others fainted, while some experienced panic attacks. Some students who fainted still continued the exam, though it is unclear how their cases were handled. In one case, a student reportedly only saw a doctor at the second venue around 7:15 PM, after being unwell for over an hour.
The student described the overall treatment as unprofessional and disrespectful, saying invigilators often avoided answering questions.
When senior examiners were also questioned by students, they were in complete ignorance. At approximately 6:00 PM, British Council buses arrived to transfer students to another venue reportedly managed by the armed forces. Invigilators accompanied them and restricted phone usage to ‘prevent access to exam information.’ This also avoids parent communication, leaving parents panicking.
After arriving, students waited another hour before entering the labs. The exam eventually began at around 8:15 PM and finished at 10:30 PM, instead of the scheduled 2:00 PM to 4:15 PM.
The student also raised concerns about how grades would be assessed under these conditions and whether they would be fairly compared to others.
With another ICT exam paper scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, many students are now concerned that the same situation could repeat itself.
What happened to student welfare?
These are teenagers who have spent months preparing for critical exams, only to face extreme conditions, uncertainty, and stress on the day that matters most. Restricting communication under the justification of preventing exam leaks is never an excuse, as many argue that basic human needs and safety should not be compromised under any circumstances.
Those responsible should immediately be held accountable.
This is not an isolated incident
The wider issue is that this is not an isolated incident. Similar situations have reportedly occurred in previous exam sessions, yet no clear accountability has been taken. Despite managing hundreds of IGCSE schools across Egypt, the British Council continues to face criticism over its handling of venue organization and exam logistics.
No Official Updates
The student has confirmed they have not received any official updates from the council about the incident or the upcoming ICT exam on Tuesday.
We reached out to the British Council through official channels for a statement, and after several follow ups we received the following:
“We have sent your request to the relevant please follow on your request within 2 working days.”
We will update you if we receive any new information.
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