Widespread anger over SQA tweaking of exam grades

The vast majority of those changes saw pupils being marked down. 

And kids in poorer areas seem to be bearing the brunt of the makeshift system brought in by the SQA during the coronavirus crisis.

Scotland exams were cancelled this summer for the first time in 130 years, with pupils' grades instead being based on the judgements of teachers. 

However, all of those predicted marks had to be vetted by the SQA's national system of "moderation". 

The body said this process - the detail of which has been kept under wraps until today -  was put in place to maintain "standards and credibility".

Controversially, the exams body looked at each school's previous history of results. Traditionally, schools in deprived areas have fared worse at exam results than their more affluent counterparts.

Overall, results were up. The National 5 pass rate was 81.1%, the Higher pass rate was 78.9% and the Advanced Higher pass rate was 84.9%.

In 2019, the National 5 pass rate was 78.2%, the Higher pass rate was 74.8% and the Advanced Higher pass rate was 79.4%.

Speaking after the exam results were published, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "In the face of an incredibly tough few months for pupils and teachers, we can today celebrate the achievements of all learners.

"Young people have received awards that recognise their hard work and allow them to move onto the next stage in their lives.

"Scottish exams have never before been cancelled. I am immensely grateful to all teachers and lecturers who worked incredibly hard to assess achievement this year, and to the SQA for developing the certification model - without either, young people could not have received qualifications."

Swinney revealed that 133,000 entries were adjusted from the initial estimate, around a quarter of all entries. 6.9% of those estimates were adjusted up and 93.1% were adjusted down, with 96% of all adjusted grades changed by one grade.

An equality impact assessment of the results, released by the SQA, showed that those students in the lowest percentile of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation - students in Scotland’s most deprived areas - had their Higher pass rate reduced by 15.2%.

However, students in the least deprived areas only had their rate reduced by just 6.9%.

Scottish Greens Education Spokesperson Ross Greer said the grading system was "disturbing and grossly unequal".

The Green said he had been contacted by teachers from across the country who are distressed and upset by the changes the SQA have made to the grades they submitted.

He said:“Teachers and pupils should not hesitate to appeal these huge changes from the grades they submitted. I have been contacted by senior staff at schools who have seen over 90% of their Higher and Advanced Higher grades changed, almost all lowered and in every one of these cases the school has been in a deprived community. 

"How can the SQA say the system is based on teacher judgement when in some schools they have ignored almost every professional judgement that teachers have made?"

Asked about the discrepancy at the Scottish Government's coronavirus briefing, Nicola Sturgeon said questions would have been asked if the teachers' judgements hadn't been altered.  

"Without that system of moderation, I would be saying that 85% of young people in our most deprived areas have passed Highers this year compared to around 65% last year, and in previous years".

That, she said, wouldn't have been credible. 

In their guidance, published today, the SQA said the moderation "sought to assess whether the [school or college's] estimated proportional attainment for each grade was broadly consistent with its historic attainment on that grade over the last four years — with additional allowances for variability.

"Where the assessment showed that a centre’s 2020 estimated attainment on a grade was outside the tolerable range for that grade at the centre, the centre’s estimates for that course were adjusted."

Labour's Iain Gray said teachers had been treated with contempt. 

He said: “Pass rates are up, and I congratulate all the pupils who have worked so hard, and their teachers who faced a mammoth task of assessment.

“It is clear though that too many young people have been hit hard by the SQA’s so called 'moderation'.  Too many have seen their results lowered, often with passes turned into fails, damaging their prospects for university or college. 

“Worst of all, the SQA have done this on the basis of each school’s past performance, marking the school not the pupil, and baking in the attainment gap.  They were told that this would be grossly unfair and it is. The SQA have also treated teachers’ professional judgement with contempt.

“The SQA will now be deluged with appeals.  I hope they are ready to deal with them properly."

Tory Shadow Education Secretary Jamie Greene said the moderation process was unfair. 

He added: “There are questions to be asked about whether it was appropriate to put such an emphasis on consistency on an untested system during an extraordinary event.

“The fact is teachers are far better placed than an SQA moderator to give an accurate estimation of the grade their pupils deserve based on ability and merit and the Scottish Government should have trusted their estimates at face value."