School pupils in Scotland to have exam results upgraded after public outcry
11 August 2020, 15:53 | Updated: 11 August 2020, 15:57
Tens of thousands of pupils will have their grades changed after public outcry.
Many school pupils in Scotland will have their grades changed following outrage over exam results in the nation.
After exams were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) gave grades based on teacher assessments.
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These were then subject to a moderation technique, which led to around 125,000 estimates being downgraded, according to the BBC.
It was announced today by Education Secretary John Swinney that downgraded results would be reversed.
As a result of the changes, the new Higher pass rate is up 14.4 per cent, the National 5 pass rate is up 10.7 per cent, and the Advanced Higher pass rate is up 13.7 per cent, according to the Guardian.
It comes after First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said that her government 'did not get it right' over exam results in the nation.
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Exam results were released last week, and there was some controversy that grades had been decreased based on previous results at the school, rather than individual performance.
Ms Sturgeon said: "Our concern, which was to make sure the grades young people got were as valid as in any other year, perhaps led us to think too much about the overall system and not enough about the individual pupil.
"That has meant too many students feel they have lost out on grades they should have had, and that that has happened not as a result of anything they have done but a statistical model or algorithm.
"Despite our best intentions I do acknowledge that we did not get this right and I am sorry for that."
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