Borders schools: How pupils were affected by exams fiasco

After exams were cancelled because of coronavirus, the Scottish Government decided teachers should submit estimates for pupils’ grades.

However, the grades were then adjusted according to an algorithm which took into account how schools had performed previously.

Following claims of unfairness, those plans were shelved and students received the original grades suggested by their teachers.

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Now, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has released a list showing how Higher grades were affected under the original, scrapped system.

The Borders school most affected was Eyemouth High School, which saw 40 per cent of Highers adjusted down, and 18.1 per cent of grades changed from 'pass' to 'fail'.

The SQA data, released after a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, falls under three categories: Highers adjusted from 'pass' to 'fail'; Highers adjusted up; and Highers adjusted down.

Peebles High School was the least affected in the Borders, with 14.1 per cent of Highers moved down, and 5.9 per cent changed to a fail mark. A total of 0.8 per cent were adjusted upwards.

Galashiels Academy had the highest percentage of results adjusted up (3.5 per cent). Meanwhile, the percentage of Gala grades adjusted down was 27.8 per cent, while the percentage moved to a fail was 11.8 per cent.

An SBC spokesperson told this newspaper: "The council welcomed the Scottish Government’s decision to award students their teacher-recommended SQA grades this year.

“We will continue to support our schools and their pupils with their National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses in the 2020-21 session.”

Critics of the original marking system said it created a "postcode lottery" that unfairly hit pupils from more deprived backgrounds.

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When First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was defending the approach, before the U-turn, she said accepting teacher estimates without moderation would lead to an exceptionally high pass rate, which she said would not be "credible".

However, Scottish education secretary John Swinney eventually ditched the plans, saying he had listened to “heartfelt pleas”.

Last week, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “No pupil in Scotland now has downgraded results based on the previous methodology.

“Following the release of results on August 4, the Deputy First Minister announced that all downgraded awards would be withdrawn and directed the SQA to re-issue those awards based solely on teacher or lecturer judgement, or SQA moderated teacher and lecturer estimates where these were higher.

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“We accepted that the risk of undermining the value of qualifications was outweighed by a concern that young people, particularly from less advantaged backgrounds, may have been adversely affected.

“We will look to learn lessons from the process to awarding qualifications this year that will help to inform any future actions. 

“However it is still noteworthy that the original SQA results showed a smaller attainment gap than was the position in 2019 and the re-issued results represent a smaller gap still.”

To see how all Scottish schools were affected, you can click this link.

No data is shown in Berwickshire High School's 'Highers adjusted up' box.