School works hard for exam assessments

WICK High School sent out a message saying it is "working hard to ensure that fair and appropriate estimates" are compiled for its pupils

This follows an announcement by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) on Tuesday (March 24) saying that examination passes will be based on teachers’ grade estimations and prelim exam results.

SQA chief executive Fiona Robertson said current public health advice has "meant that we have had to make some really difficult decisions about coursework”.

She added: “This means that for this year, schools and colleges are not required to submit learner coursework for marking, in Higher and Advanced Higher courses.

“We have taken this difficult decision to be as fair as possible to all Higher and Advanced Higher candidates, whilst taking on board the current public health advice, the many varied coursework requirements across different subjects, and how these are managed in schools and colleges across the country."

She said that all efforts are being taken to ensure that learners’ hard work is "rightly and fairly recognised and allows them to proceed to further learning or work".

Wick High School's SQA coordinator Shona Laybourne said that the qualification authority would provide further details on the estimation of grades.

She said: "As we wait for further clarification on how information should be supplied to the SQA and how it will be used, it would not be appropriate to advise pupils of their estimate grades.

"Pupils should already be aware of their own progress, through our three tracking points across the year.

"We ask that if able to do so, pupils continue to engage with their teachers online and submit work that may have been assigned to them through their Google Classroom."

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