Setting the stage for new certification to increase opportunities for young refugees
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Setting the stage for new certification to increase opportunities for young refugees
This World Refugee Day sees Cambridge run training workshops to support the rollout of Alsama Project’s unique assessment for displaced youth.
Founded in 2020, Alsama Project is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) transforming refugee education. Through their education centres in Lebanon, Alsama supports refugees aged 12 to 18 and displaced learners. Many children arrive at the centres totally illiterate and innumerate – unable to write their own names. They leave having gained these skills and more – from art to sport.
For Alsama, transforming education does not stop there. They are committed to helping young refugees progress to further education and work.
At the moment, only 7% of refugee youth attend university. Around the world, the average is 42% of all young people. One of the barriers to further education and work for refugees is an inability to officially demonstrate their skills. Traditional exams teenagers sit when leaving school may not suit refugees. They may be too expensive. They may require knowledge that is not relevant to a teenager’s life. They are unlikely to be flexible enough to recognise the change a refugee has experienced in their education journey.
So, Alsama is creating a new qualification. It is called the G12++. Alsama is designing the G12++ just for displaced youth, providing an alternative to traditional high-school certificates. With a G12++ qualification, refugee and displaced teens can show their skills to universities and workplaces more easily.
Last year, Cambridge reviewed specifications and specimen items for the G12++ and made recommendations to Alsama on its development.
Now, Alsama is moving from pilot to rollout. Teens will sit the first G12++ exams in 2026. To help lay the groundwork for success, Alsama and Cambridge have collaborated on specialist training. Through a series of workshops, Cambridge is providing item writing training for Alsama’s team who are putting the exams together.
Specialist workshops to build assessment skills
In May 2025, Cambridge hosted five workshops to support Alsama’s exam writers. There was a workshop for each of the five parts of the G12++: Arabic, English, Essential Life Skills, Maths, and Scientific Thinking.
The sessions focused on the core principles of effective item writing.
In assessment, an ‘item’ is a single question or task. They are the building blocks of tests, exams and other assessment tools. They can be a multiple-choice question, a short-answer question, a problem-solving task or more. To create a high-quality test item, writers must ensure they are clear and fair. Writers need to directly align each item with the test’s objectives.
In the workshops, Cambridge and Alsama focused on how to create questions that accurately measure knowledge and skills. Colleagues looked at how to ensure each question serves its intended purpose. They shared international best practices and applied these to the refugee education context. Together, the group explored common issues and how to avoid them.
To prepare for the workshops, Cambridge reviewed some of the new test items. Experts focused on quality and adherence to the G12++ test specification and purpose. This highlighted areas to strengthen further together in training.
It is a pleasure to participate in this ambitious project, which opens the doors of the university to groups of students deprived of formal education due to their circumstances. We hope that many displaced students will benefit from these opportunities.
The work of the team producing and evaluating these tests is characterized by professionalism and adheres to standards of quality, relevance, and fairness. Thank you for this outstanding spirit of commitment and competence.
Dr Saber Lahbacha, Professor of Arabic Language, University of Sousse, Tunisia
I don't think I have ever attended a training session to such high levels of detail and relevance. I love all the experts' comments which, I believe, have further flared up my interest in item writing by leaps and bounds.
Dr Low Chee Soon, Senior Lecturer, UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College
Cambridge’s detailed feedback helped us spot things we might have missed and improve the quality of each question. The group review sessions with Cambridge experts and fellow writers gave us space to reflect, learn from each other, and build stronger, fairer questions for the learners.Raabia Hirani, Advisor, Curriculum Development at AKU-EB
Providing feedback and advice to support training
To reinforce foundations for assessment success, Cambridge is also providing feedback on Alsama’s validity framework for the G12++.
Assessment validity frameworks address key questions like: ‘What is the purpose of the test’? ‘Which abilities does the exam test’? ‘How are the test results used’?
Alsama’s answers to these questions are specific to their context. One of Alsama’s goals is to make it easier for universities and employers to accept refugee students. Right now, having conducted research with universities, Alsama reports universities spend 20 times longer making decisions for refugee applicants.
One of the things Cambridge is looking at is the scoring models that determine how the G12++’s markers will award points. Colleagues are also considering the evidence that Alsama will evaluate to check the test assesses what it aims to. Cambridge will then provide advice to support Alsama to refine their approach.
From training to implementation
Since the last World Refugee Day, the Alsama team has developed the G12++ from prototype to near-live delivery. In work together at different points in the journey, Cambridge has shared insights from established practice in diverse contexts to support how Alsama sets up and runs the certification for years to come.
Our students are learning English, Arabic, maths, computer, and life skills – ready to adapt and contribute wherever they live. Without the G12++, they cannot prove their abilities or access university and vocational training.
In today’s world, experience alone isn’t enough. They need recognised certification that respects their dignity and opens real opportunities. With the G12++ certificate, strengthened in collaboration with Cambridge University Press & Assessment, our students will finally have a voice in the world. They will be able to take part in shaping a better future – one filled with peace, love, and hope.
Kadria Hussein, COO, Alsama Project
Connecting talented young people with universities and employers benefits everyone. Measurable education is a fundamental right for every child. It also unlocks huge potential in nations and our global community. To play a role in supporting this innovative team on their journey is a privilege.
Jane Mann, Managing Director, Partnership for Education, Cambridge
