Making the grade

Pupils, parents and teachers are still digesting the news that next year’s Higher and Advance Higher exams have been cancelled.

Teachers will again have to assess their work and send the appropriate marks to the SQA who normally pay handsomely to have this done. Sadly once again the teachers will be unpaid though expected to spend considerable amount of time preparing and producing this. Let's hope the Scottish Assembly doesn't instruct the SQA to change these marks as they did this year. A complete fiasco.

Wilma Prentice The only thing teachers have been preparing is pupil failure by excuses and abuses. If they have so much preparing to do why nine months after a covid pandemic are they still not prepared? SQA at fault, policy at fault, pay at fault, poverty at fault. Parents at fault, pupils at fault . But teachers are not at fault?

Martin Allan

A good decision, made in good time to put the structure in place to allow both teachers and pupils to work towards achieving the qualifications they deserve. Disruption to pupils’ education invariably affects those who's parents are unable to help them at home, and those who have limited or no access to laptops/ computers at home.

Gordon Chalmers

Disgraceful decision. They are putting the final nails into the coffin of our once top-class education system. What further education establishment would wish to accept uncertificated students?

Tom Forrest This avoids criticism of standards. If anyone else can remember their teens how would you have reacted knowing you had no exams to work towards next year? This generation will achieve little and be supported by the nanny Nationalists buying more votes. Disaster for Scotland.

John King Easy route out and two years of kids with nothing that employers will recognise for years to come. Scotland used to be a shining light regarding education but under the SNP'S 13 years of drudgery and unhappiness education is in freefall. But let's not blame them, blame Boris and Westminster as always..

Gordon Steel I suppose you blame the SNP for Covid? Our young people do not need people like you calling this an easy route out! I speak as a parent of an S5 pupil who is studying for five Highers. This is not the Scottish Government or Westminster’s fault . . . it is Covid’s fault. One thing is for sure – our young people do not need their education or achievements belittled by small-minded sofa surfers like you. Pull your neck in and stop being so childish.

Gillian Boyd Assessments can be carried out in many ways. The only way to test anyone’s ability under pressure is to add a time constraint. And that requires an exam, independently set and assessed. That adds a measure of quality control across the country. Exams shouldn’t be the only means of assessment: but to cancel them for two years running means higher education and employers have little to guide them. And the young people don’t have pride in their achievements.

Philip Hartley It’s acceptabe as long as they are replaced with a credible and structured ongoing assessment so that the qualifications gained are meaningful. The future of thousands of children is at stake.

Steven Andrew Watson Dreadful decision. Swinney and his team have had since March to work out an alternative curriculum or adapted the Highers to suit the circumstances. Very unfair on this year's sixth years who had no Higher exams this year and will leave school without sitting any this session. Someone with a bit more imagination and initiative than Swinney would have found a more credible solution than just cancelling them.

Cameron Mcleod

Our Higher prelims are in January but its been known all along that exams may be cancelled. Since the start of S5 our son has been aware that all pieces of work handed in and all assessments could be part of his final grade. I think all schools have been working with this in mind

Sandra Lockhart

They are still going to get a grade. It makes sense since a lot of kids have been off and missed class time.

John Graham

Exams are not the only way to assess our young people’s’ knowledge of a subject and awarding a qualification. Many educationalist would abandon this method of assessment, which is often just a test of memory.

Graham Senior