Pupils to receive original marks estimated by teachers Swinney announces

Scotland’s Education Secretary has said more than 124,000 exam results downgraded by a controversial moderation process will revert to the grades estimated by pupils’ teachers.

John Swinney made the announcement in a statement at the Scottish Parliament.

As a result of the pandemic, exams were cancelled and a new grading system put in place, with teachers’ estimates of pupils’ attainment moderated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

This was based on criteria including the past performance of schools.

It resulted in 124,564 exam results being downgraded – about a quarter of all grades handed out by the SQA this year.

The pass rate for higher pupils from the most deprived areas of Scotland was reduced by 15.2%, compared with 6.9% in the most affluent parts of the country.

Mr Swinney said: “I can confirm to Parliament today that all downgraded awards will be withdrawn.

“Using powers available to me in the Education (Scotland) Act 1996, I am today directing the SQA to reissue those awards based solely on teacher or lecturer judgment.

“Schools will be able to confirm the estimates they provided for pupils to those that are returning to school this week and next.”

The Education Secretary faced criticism from pupils, parents and teachers, with opposition politicians calling for him to resign.

Mr Swinney is set to face a vote of no confidence later this week, tabled by Scottish Labour and supported by the Conservatives, with the Lib Dems and Greens withholding judgment until after his statement on Tuesday.

His statement follows First Minister Nicola Sturgeon apologising to pupils for the way results were handled this year.

Published: 11/08/2020 by Radio NewsHub

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