Nicola Sturgeon has opened the door tofundamental exams reform, after questioning whether this week’s SQA results controversy shows students would be better served by results based on teachers’ judgement.
The first minister also urged students whose Scottish Qualifications Authority results were downgradedto appeal their results, amidongoing controversy over those from more deprived areas being more likely to receive lower grades from the SQA than those estimated by their teachers.
Even before this week’s events, education secretary and deputy first minister John Swinney said in aTes Scotlandpodcast in July that there was“a really strongargument” for reforming exams.
SQA results: Protests against ‘completely unfair’ marks
Are exams still fit for purpose:‘The SQA results debacle reveals deeper weaknesses’
SQA protests:I could have joinedprotest, admits Sturgeon
Results day 2020:‘Sense of injustice on a whole other level’
Analysis:SQA exam system ‘has largelymaintainedthe status quo’
Ms Sturgeon, speaking as she took questions following her daily coronavirus briefing today, said there was“a debate to be had, I am sure, about whether it is exams or teacher assessments that are the best way of deciding a young person’s performance”.
She added that “if we’ve had for seven years a situation where exam results have led to a 65 per cent pass rate amongst the 20 per cent most deprived, but teacher assessments lead to a suggested 85 per cent pass rate, there is legitimate debate in there as to, well, which is the best way of doing that in future”.
Ms Sturgeon said: “I’m not shying away from these questions [around exams reform], but I’m asking peoplewhowant to pose these hard questions and have that debate, fine- but don’tlose sight of this really important [appeals] part of this year’s process.”
Ms Sturgeonsaid young people were “entitled to be angry” about being downgraded and “to feel that this is not just”, adding that “the government will listen carefully to that” and urging them to usethe free appeals process that is operating this year.
She added: “But please don’t lose sight of the next part of the process [which] is not a statistical model.
“This is the part of the process that looks at your individual circumstances, and if you did well in your prelim but have got a result that is lower than that, that gets looked at. If you’ve done coursework that your teacher thinks is relevant, that is what is looked at- this is the bit of the process that is about looking at your individual circumstances.”
Ms Sturgeon said that if lots of appeals are upheld, “it will show that that process has worked as intended”.
The appeals process, shesaid, would be “about ensuring that individual injustices could be identified and rectified”.
She added that “the SQA areresourced to deal with a significantly higher number of appeals...given the circumstances this year”.
