SQA chief defends 'assessments' replacing Nat 5 and Higher exams

The Scottish Qualifications Authority has defended the replacement system for this year's exams, insisting they were based on teacher judgement.

In her first interview in a year SQA chief executive Fiona Robertson also refused to apologise for the algorithm used last year which revised grades down based on past performance.

Some pupils and parents criticised this year's assessment process as "exams by another name".

The results are out next week.

Most pupils already know their individual grades but the national picture is expected to become clear.

When National 5, Highers and Advanced Higher exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to the pandemic, pupils were told they would be assessed by teachers throughout the year.

But school closures during the second national lockdown meant many had to sit a large number of assessments in a short space of time when they reopened.

Concerns were raised about the fairness of the process and that pupils were sitting the "assessments" in school time without appropriate study leave.

There were also reports that questions and answers were being widely shared on platforms such as TikTok.

In an interview with BBC Scotland, Ms Robertson insisted teachers had flexibility about how assessment evidence was gathered, and in determining grades.

"I understand when a young person is sitting in front of a desk undertaking what feels like an exam, but there are key differences this year," she said.

"We accepted that because of public health advice it was not possible to get young people into exam halls in the volume and in the way we have had in the past.

"Young people will have had disruption to learning that affects them in different ways.

"So schools and colleges have been able to assess young people when and how they see fit within a structure of understanding the courses and the assessment approach and we have provided guidance around all of that."

Last year's results day was mired in controversy after a moderation system saw 125,000 estimated results being downgraded.

Amid claims that the algorithm unfairly penalised pupils at schools which had not performed well in the past, the government U-turned and agreed to accept teacher estimates.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon apologised at the time, but when Ms Robertson was asked if she would like to apologise, she did not.

"I think I said at the time that obviously we regretted the circumstances in which we all found ourselves in," she said.

"We worked hard to ensure that the ministerial direction, which was to award teacher assessed grades, was delivered and in taking forward the approach this year that we worked very much with the system to ensure that grades were awarded reflecting the skills and achievements of young people.

"And that's what we've done."

Earlier this summer the Scottish government announced that the SQA was to be replaced as part of a "substantial" overhaul of education, following an independent review.

The OECD's report on the Curriculum for Excellence said there was too much focus on exams in the later years of schooling.

Ms Robertson said she had a discussion with Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville "just before" her announcement on the matter at Holyrood.

Asked if there was disappointment in the organisation, she said: "I think everyone working in SQA has worked really, really hard.

"I think some of the comments and some of the discussion has neither been fair or accurate in some cases but our focus remains on ensuring that we continue to deliver for learners and that the assessments and qualifications approach in Scotland is one that commands the support of the system and that Scottish qualifications continue to have high credibility both in Scotland and beyond."