The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has been forced to admit it published exam support materials for students by mistake last night.
It said that “this should not have happened” and that the mistake means the support materials have not been “communicated and shared in a way that learners and teachers have a right to expect”.
Publication of the materials last night follows the announcement on 1 February that the “scenario 2” contingency for assessment this year had been invoked and that a “substantial package of additional support” would be provided because of the “disruption to learning and teaching” caused by the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Teachers and students were told that the extra support would differ depending on the subject. For some subjects, the SQA said, students would be given advance warning of what would - and what would not - be assessed in the exam. For other subjects, the SQA said the support would entail study notes that could be taken into the exam or the provision of study guides.
However, the initial reaction from many teachers to the study guides has been scathing.
Angry and frustrated teachers from a wide range of subjects - including home economics, technological studies, geography, physics and modern studies - took to social media last night to hit out at the “patronising” documents, saying that they added nothing and that the advice they contained would already have been meted out “by thousands of teachers to prepare students for exams”.
A chemistry teacher, also responding on social networking site Twitter, said the guides would only help if students “haven’t listened to a word their teacher has said all year” and that they are “the equivalent of asking them to bring a pen, ruler and a calculator”.
A modern studies teacher said the revision guide for National 5 in his subject was “embarrassing” given students had suffered two years of disruption to their learning.
A physics teacher, meanwhile, said: “Ok, on a scale of 0-10, when 10 was a massively helpful document...and 0 was the least helpful document I imagined getting, the SQA support document for physics is -3. There is *nothing* in it which is of use. NOTHING.”
Labour’s education spokesperson, Michael Marra, said this morning that he had submitted an urgent question regarding “the latest unacceptable shambles” from the SQA.
The SQA, however, is stressing that the support available to students for different subjects has to be looked at in the round and viewed as a package.
In the case of geography, for example, the SQA said coursework had already been removed and the exam had already been narrowed, therefore simply providing a study guide was deemed appropriate.
The SQA also says that the study guides are aimed at learners, not teachers, and that feedback from students is that they like having a series of hints and tips in one place.
However, Iain Aitken, president of the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers, said there was too much disparity “in the level of support offered between subjects”.
“Some subjects have been told of specific content and questions that will be in the final examinations, whereas in geography a generic command words document has been published with no real insight to help pupils prepare properly,” he said. “These are candidates who have faced significant disruption and anxiety throughout this academic year.”
Mr Aitken added that his colleagues in schools across Scotland largely felt the SQA “need not have bothered publishing these documents, as they simply regurgitate information within course specifications and previously published documents and...reiterate what we do in the classroom as professionals”.
He concluded: “A significant disconnect between the teaching profession and our national examinations authority remains, which can only be bridged by fundamental reforms.”
Fiona Robertson, chief executive of the SQA, said: “These revision materials and guidance are part of SQA’s commitment to providing a substantial package of additional support for learners - which includes significant modifications to this year’s exams and assessments - as they make the final preparations for their exams.
“The measures are the fairest and best way we can help support all learners, while also maintaining the integrity, credibility and standard of the qualifications.”
The SQA said its approach to developing the revision support materials had been informed by learners and subject specialist teachers across the country and that a total of 126 items of revision support were available for National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher courses that have an exam.
It said these materials would be published in full by lunchtime today and should be considered alongside the modifications to assessment published in August 2021.
Ms Robertson added: “Everyone at SQA recognises the professionalism of Scotland’s teachers and lecturers and their commitment to learners across the country. Scotland’s young people are to be commended for their hard work and resilience as they overcome the challenges presented by the pandemic.”
A summary of the revision support for each course is available from the SQA website.
Learners can access the revision support from Ushare, SQA’s free online platform, which hosts links to open-source revision materials and teaching resources that support SQA qualifications.
Meanwhile, it has also emerged today that the Muir report - which will set out how the SQA could be replaced in the wake of concerns over its performance during Covid - is to be published this Thursday, 10 March.
