Portugal's second-phase national exams start today — some students still don't know their first-phase marks
Portugal's second-phase national exams run 21-24 July, with orals until the 28th. Around 1,400 first-phase marks reached schools flagged as 'suspended'.
Portugal’s second-phase national exams kick off this Tuesday under unusual circumstances: some students are walking into the exam room without knowing exactly what they scored in the first phase. Written papers run from 21 to 24 July — the calendar was pushed back a few days by the marking chaos — and foreign-language orals continue until the 28th. The official exam-by-exam schedule is on the IAVE website.
Why are first-phase exam marks still in doubt?
Because phase one ended messily. Results were only posted on 17 July, three days late, and even then around 1,400 marks reached schools flagged as “suspended” — papers without a validated grade. On Sunday it emerged that some of the marks sent to schools contained errors, forcing last-minute corrections just as the second phase loomed.
Who sits the second-phase exams?
Anyone who failed or missed the first phase, anyone trying to improve a grade, and anyone who needs a specific exam for university admission. Registration closed on Monday night, and the uncertainty showed: some students signed up “just in case”, not knowing whether their first-phase mark would hold up.
For now, the Government insists the higher-education admissions calendar stays put — the first application round is open, with deadlines running to 6 August. Whether the suspended marks get sorted in time for everyone to compete on equal footing is the question of the week.
If you are sitting a paper today: black pen, ID card and steady nerves remain the essential kit. Good luck — and may the marks arrive intact this time.
Image: Esquerda.net / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
