Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
1 February 2022
Dear Convener
Ahead of my Parliamentary statement today, I am writing to update you on the package of support services being implemented by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) which will be available for learners who are taking National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses in 2022. This includes the decision by the SQA Board to invoke scenario 2 – to provide additional revision support to learners – given the levels of disruption to learning that continue to result from Covid. SQA have also confirmed their approach to appeals, grading and exceptional circumstances
Finally, I will also set out the additional resource being put in place for Easter study support.
All of these measures underpin the 2022 exam diet, balancing integrity and credibility of the qualifications against the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on learners.
On 19 January, I advised Parliament that SQA had indicated that a decision on the Scenario 2 contingency was likely to be made soon, based on information such as national teacher and pupil absence levels.
While the number of full and partial school closures has been small, it is clear that many secondary schools have experienced extreme disruption in the wave of the Omicron variant - particularly in the first half of January - in relation to both student and teacher absences. In relation to the college sector, learners had to revert to a universally remote learning model, rather than a hybrid model, since late December.
Given both the level of disruption and its impact on learning and teaching, the SQA Board has now taken the decision to invoke the Scenario 2 contingency measure, and SQA will provide revision support to aid learners in their preparations for exams.
Information will be available on the SQA website setting out the existing modifications and the type of revision support that will be provided for each course by subject and level.
The Exam Exceptional Circumstances approach is available to learners as exams are taking place, and provides a back-up for learners who are unable to attend their exam or exams due to illness or bereavement, or where there is disruption during the exam. This will include Covid-19 related absences.
This service is based on SQA’s established annual process. If a candidate is eligible for Exceptional Circumstances, then their centre will provide appropriate assessment evidence gathered during the course of the year, and the SQA will review this against the national standard and award the appropriate grade.
Once the exams have been completed and marked, SQA will look at the outcomes through their standard processes to determine the 2022 grade boundaries needed to achieve an A, B, or C grade for that specific subject and level.
Senior SQA appointees, who are practising teachers or lecturers, will take an expert decision based on a range of evidence. This includes:
• the reflections of markers and the senior exam team as they mark and review a wide range of candidate exam scripts;
• estimates provided by centres; and
• information such as the number of candidate entered and the number of centres presenting candidates for the course.
The key focus will be to review how the course assessments worked this session as measured against the national standard. In recognition of the disruption that learners have faced over the last two years and the different assessment approaches applied, the approach to grading exams this year will look to factor in the impact of the pandemic on learners.
These grade boundary decisions will be applied at a national level. Individual local authority or school data will not be looked at, and no algorithms will be used in the process.
The expectation is that the overall outcomes in 2022 will represent an intermediary position between 2021 and pre-pandemic years.
Learners will continue to have free direct access to appeal their result. This year, as well as conducting a clerical check on examination scripts, for each appeal, SQA appointees will review alternative assessment evidence that learners have completed through the year. This would be the same evidence as that used for an exam exceptional circumstances request, which will be judged against the same national standard for that course.
Learners’ grades through the appeals process will be based upon the higher grade of the two types of evidence.
Equality and Childrens’ rights impact assessments have been carried out and will be published in the coming weeks alongside full detail and guidance on these measures.
Easter Study Support
Schools are best placed to provide tailored support for individual learners who have experienced disruption to catch up on their learning and are given the best chance to demonstrate their potential. Each year, many schools provide Easter study support provision to help learners preparing for their exams.
On 5 October 2021, in response to a PQ (S6W-03503), I confirmed a commitment to support learners doing exams in the spring by boosting in-person Easter study support provision. The PQ can be accessed at: S6W-03503 | Scottish Parliament Website
Officials are working with local government and other partners to agree distribution of £4m funding to increase support where appropriate, ensuring resources for targeted Easter study support provision are available for senior phase learners, particularly those from the most deprived backgrounds, undertaking NQ exams in 2022. It is anticipated that this funding would allow schools and colleges, or Local Authorities through Authority-wide initiatives, to offer targeted sessions for learners at Easter. Funding will be targeted as follows:
a) senior phase learners undertaking NQ exams in 2022 from the most deprived backgrounds;
b) senior phase learners undertaking NQ exams in 2022 with additional support needs;
c) senior phase learners undertaking NQ exams in 2022 whose attendance and/or attainment has been most acutely affected by Covid-19
The means by which the support is provided is at the discretion of the school, local authority or college.
While it is not envisioned that this funding would result in a universal offer of support in all subjects available in all schools or colleges, this funding is available to allow them (or subjects within schools/colleges) who have previously chosen not to offer Easter Study sessions due to limited capacity/resources to introduce such support.
I hope that the update is helpful in setting out the position.