Dear Mr Anderson,

I am sending you this email in relation to (insert name) and the issue of the estimated grade for (insert subject). I understand that the estimate is based upon a combination of the prelim result, any coursework and assignments as well as the teacher’s professional judgement. However, we believe that this is not a true reflection of her/his ability and that s/he would have improved significantly by the time of the final exam. S/he also requires (insert grade) in this subject for entry to her/his chosen course at university so I hope that it will be possible for the original estimated grade to be reconsidered. I have also attached a letter from her/his private tutor in support of this view.

Yours, etc.

The above could serve as a template for more than one communication which I have received in recent weeks - and I’m sure that I’m not alone in this. In many ways, the genuine concerns and anxieties expressed are perfectly understandable. We can all sympathise with the plight of young people and their families, many of whom will feel considerable additional pressure in relation to, for example, the college and university application process.

Similarly, the challenge for the Scottish Qualifications Authority in the face of these unprecedented circumstances was considerable, and nobody thinks that the decision to cancel the entire exam diet would have been taken lightly. It’s important to acknowledge the scale of the situation that the SQA faced - but equally important, of course, to expect that it puts in place clear and robust procedures to guide us all through the environment in which we now operate.

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The SQA statement of 2 April attempted to plot a way forward, with more details published on 20 April. Mention was made of the need to adopt a “holistic view of a learner’s performance”. We were told that this would be based upon learners’ “demonstrated and inferred attainment of the required skills, knowledge and understanding for each course” and that, significantly, in the certification process this would be a “core element”.

The impact of coronavirus on qualifications

The SQA has said it would “refine the existing system and ensure that it is as fair and robust as possible”. What will such refinement look like - and how will the dangers of over-complication be mitigated?

For example, is the fact that SQA will now divide each existing band and ask teachers to place each learner - in rank order - within these “band categories” an instance of the refinement to which it refers, or another layer of bureaucracy which might undermine the commitment to a fair and robust system? Significant and lucid exposition of how this will work is essential.

The SQA has also said it will “adjust estimates where necessary”, which begs questions about exactly which criteria will be applied.

We have been told that the process “may be informed by previous subject and qualification performance at both national and centre level and prior attainment information where that is available”. An important point is that the judgement arrived at by individual teachers in relation to individual learners must not be diluted or compromised in any way. It must not, for example, be undermined by application of an algorithm which replicates in entirety previous patterns of attainment - one possible consequence of which might be to preserve, not narrow, the poverty-related attainment gap.

These uniquely challenging circumstances might allow for a certain levelling of the playing field in relation to attainment. The SQA acknowledges that teachers have a “strong understanding” of their pupils’ progress and attainment.

There now exists the chance fully to commit to the power of that understanding - and to back to the hilt the professional judgement of our teachers.

Ian Anderson is the headteacher of Bellahouston Academy in Glasgow