In many ways, 10 August 2021 was an SQA results day unlike any other: students already knew their grades, meaning there were few surprises. In other ways, however, it was tediously familiar.
Just like in 2020, the commentary fractured into two camps. More conservative elements felt these results - including a record number of A-grade passes, especially in Higher English - were wholly illegitimate, the result of grade inflation and over-generous marking.
At the other end of the spectrum, many felt they were entirely deserved and accurate…and to imply otherwise was to impugn the teaching profession. This is a dispute that has raged since last May, and as is often the case, the truth is being lost in the weeds of political tribalism and point scoring.
LIVE: SQA results 2021
Also today: Announcement on 2022 SQA exams ‘in next few days’
Background: A-grade passes hit record high on SQA results day 2021
Pass rates: SQA results day 2021: Pass rates drop across the board
Attainment gap: SQA results day 2021: attainment gap wider than in 2020
‘Rushed policy is bad policy’: What now for SQA exams reform?
So why were there so many As awarded in Higher English? The answer, unsurprisingly, is less clearcut than the Twitter-storm would have you believe.
The retention of coursework - the writing portfolio - when other subjects ditched coursework, undoubtedly factors in. The fact students only had to submit one piece, which was double-weighted, is also significant, allowing students to play to their strengths.
It’s undeniable that the methods of assessment also had an impact. Students were assessed - in what were, despite governmental protestations to the contrary, exams in all but name - by their teachers, in methods that varied from authority to authority and school to school.
This meant students sat papers at different times. One potential impact was sharing knowledge of papers - infamously, many papers were leaked on TikTok - which undoubtedly gave some students an advantage. Of course, not all schools used those papers, so not all students received that benefit. Indeed this, for me, is the real injustice here - not that some students could benefit, but that only some could benefit.
Needing to catch up on what happened on #sqaresultsday?
Here we present the 11 key figures behind the headlines about the pass rate dropping; proportion of As rising; and the attainment gap widening https://t.co/NMFvkoEeMH
- Emma Seith (@Emma_Seith) August 11, 2021
But there’s another, more positive aspect to this. The inconsistency in timings allowed for many schools to assess their students when they were ready - or at least more ready than they would have been at some arbitrary “exam day”. And if they weren’t ready, it was perhaps easier to persuade students to withdraw and defer entry if those giving that advice were also those making the assessment judgments.
What’s more, while many students had a gruelling few weeks of assessments, putting them under strain for a long time, for many there were fewer high-stakes “pressure spikes”, meaning exam stress was perhaps had less of an impact than in preceding years.
Reports on pandemic teaching understandably focused on those students struggling to engage remotely. The digital divide is another aspect of the attainment gap in Scotland that urgently needs addressed (though I would argue both are facets of a far larger systemic inequality that goes beyond any sticking plasters that can be applied by schools). But for those students that could engage with their teachers online, supported home learning may actually have been a boon.
Free from swelling class sizes and disruptive classmates, some students thrived while learning remotely, relishing the independent work and focused feedback and discussion with teachers.
The cancelling of national exams in 2020 also offered schools more freedom in the summer term: in our school, Higher students benefited from several extra weeks of teaching. We were able to start the course early, mitigating the annual “two-term dash”, and as a result their RUAE (reading for understanding, analysis and evaluation) results were markedly better than they’ve ever been. This wasn’t the result of a leaked paper (we didn’t use the SQA one), or inexperienced marking (I’ve been a team leader with the SQA Higher English team for years): my students performed better, because they had more time to learn and practise.
What this all means for the future remains to be seen. I certainly hope the impending dissolution and replacement of the SQA will lead to some sincere reflection on the structure of education in Scotland, and wide-ranging consultation. If we can take the good from these experiences - maintaining coursework, deferring assessment until students are ready - we could have a system of qualifications deserving of our pride.
Surely that would be the most fitting legacy of the teachers and students who’ve endured such hardship over the past two years?
Andy Leask is a teacher of English and head of e-learning at St George’s School for Girls, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and an MIEE (Microsoft innovative educator expert). He tweets @andyleask
