The Scottish Government has announced that plans for the 2021 exam diet have been updated in light of continuing disruption to young people’s education caused by coronavirus.
Higher and Advanced Higher exams will not go ahead next year and will be replaced with awards based on teacher judgement of evidence of pupils’ attainment. The assessment model will be based on the approach already agreed for National 5 awards, details of which are being set out today.
Data shows that since the return to school in August, there have been varied instances of Covid-related disruption to learning, with a higher proportion of pupils from more deprived areas having to spend time out of school.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney who made the announcement to parliament said:“In October, I said Highers and Advanced Highers would go ahead if it was safe and fair to do so. Since then, many pupils have suffered disruption because of Covid, as they were obliged to self-isolate or even saw their school closed. The level of disruption has, however, not been the same across the board – pupils in deprived areas have been hit hardest.
“While we hope that public health will improve in the coming months with the roll-out of the vaccine, we cannot guarantee that there will be no further disruption to pupils’ learning.“Holding exams would run the risk of translating the unequal impact of Covid into unfair results for our poorest pupils, leading to their futures being blighted through no fault of their own. That is simply not fair.
“There will be no Higher or Advanced Higher exams in 2021. Instead we will adopt a new model that is based on the one developed for National 5 qualifications and make awards on teacher judgement of evidence of learner attainment. This approach is more flexible and takes account of the reality of the disruption so many pupils have already had to their learning.”
Mr Swinney also announced there will be an exceptional one-off payment to teachers and lecturers who are critical to assessing and marking National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses this year. This is to recognise their additional workload of assessing national qualifications in this unique academic year in the absence of exams. The Scottish Government will work with partners and employers on the specifics of this payment.
The SQA made a pronouncement on Nat 5 exams here. The National Qualifications 2021 group, led by the SQA and involving local authority directors of educations, the EIS, and others, have been working to develop the model for assessing National 5 qualifications. It involves teachers and lecturers working with the SQA to understand the standards required for national qualifications and how to apply this when grading pieces of evidence such as course work. No algorithm will be used, nor will learners’ awards be based on school past performance.
Scottish Conservative Shadow Education Secretary Jamie Greene said:“John Swinney delayed this decision to the last possible moment, shamefully keeping pupils, teachers and parents in the dark for months.
“At every turn during this pandemic, he has failed to step up and show the leadership required. First it was the exams fiasco, then it was throwing the towel in over National 5 exams, and now he has dithered and delayed over Higher and Advanced Higher exams.
“By his own admission, the Education Secretary now accepts that it is our poorest students who have been deprived of their education this year.
“No wonder beleaguered teachers are writing in their droves to confirm they have completely lost confidence in John Swinney’s abilities. That will only mount as this latest decision raises more questions than it does answers.
“The Scottish Conservatives will bring forward a vote tomorrow to make the SNP answer for their disastrous record on our schools during this pandemic and throughout their years in charge of our education system.”
Scottish Greens Education spokesperson Ross Greer MSP has welcomed an announcement from the Education Secretary that there will be no Higher and Advanced Higher exams in 2021.
The Scottish Greens have led calls for school exams to be cancelled in light of the pandemic, being the first to make this proposal in May, when it became clear that the 2020/21 school year would see huge disruption.
Ross Greer MSP said:
“The Scottish Greens have called for all 2021 exams to be cancelled since it became clear in May that the level of disruption would make a fair exam diet impossible, so today’s announcement is overdue but welcome.
“It provides the clarity that teachers, parents and, most importantly, pupils had demanded.
“What’s essential now is that the Education Secretary stops the SQA repeating its approach to National 5 assessments with the Higher and Advanced Highers.
“Despite Mr Swinney’s categorical assurances to me earlier this year, the SQA has created a system which has massively added to teachers’ workloads, essentially expecting them to take on the huge additional work of an SQA marker.
“Given that Scotland’s school system was already dependent on an average of eleven hours of overtime per teacher per week, this will push many beyond their breaking point and simply cannot be allowed to happen.”
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