‘Normal’ exams for Scots pupils in 2022, reveals secret SNP report
SCOTTISH pupils are set to take their first ‘normal’ exams for three years in 2022 – but they also face the prospect of continuous assessment throughout the new session.
Proposals for the first formal assessments since the start of the pandemic are still being finalised.
However, the Scottish Government is expected to announce within days a return to the traditional exam diet after the massive disruption caused by Covid.
Teachers have assessed pupils for the past two years after exams were cancelled – but the new school session is set for a return to prelims, exam halls and official question papers.
Plans for the year are contained in the Scottish Government’s Education Recovery Strategy report, a draft of which has been seen by The Scottish Mail on Sunday.
A return to exams next year depends on continued low levels of
‘Additional adaptations will be considered’
the virus – so the draft report also contains emergency plans for a ‘doomsday scenario’ where spiralling cases of the virus force exams to be scrapped again.
Teachers and pupils therefore face the controversial prospect of extra ‘planned assessments’ throughout the year, to provide evidence for grades in the absence of formal examinations.
Such a move is likely to infuriate teachers, who feel that preparing for exams as well as continuous assessment increases both their workload and the burden on pupils.
Other changes, depending on possible Covid disruption, could see exam papers altered or pupils given advance warning of which topics will come up.
With most Scottish schools returning this week after more than a year of mayhem, an announcement on assessments would provide much-needed clarity for pupils, families and teachers. The draft strategy says: ‘The central planning assumption will be for examinations to proceed in 2022 for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher...
‘In the event that additional disruption is experienced, additional adaptations to the exams will be considered.
‘These may include adaptations to the content of the papers, such as the removal of certain content, or an indication to learners of the topics to be covered, through to the physical arrangements for sitting the papers, such as the use of multiple classrooms rather than assembly or gym halls, if public health advice advises certain approaches to large gatherings.
‘A further contingency arrangement will be in place for the possibility of more significant disruption, and with it public health advice advising against large gatherings of people, which would lead to the cancellation of exams. In this case, we will look to draw on planned assessments gathered at appropriate times throughout the year.’
It continues: ‘Guidance on this arrangement will be provided at the earliest opportunity to ensure that the volume and gathering of evidence is robust, reliable and proportionate.’
The draft report – with a foreword by Education Secretary ShirleyAnne Somerville – said action would be taken if necessary ‘to mitigate any further disruption for learners and the teaching/lecturer workforce whilst ensuring that fairness and credibility of the qualifications is maintained’.
It is understood the contingency plan on continuous assessment is still under discussion.
YOUNG people may be the least susceptible to the devastating physical effects of coronavirus, but it would be a mistake to underestimate the terrible impact the pandemic has had on their lives.
The repeated closure of schools and the cancellation of two years of traditional exams have turned life upside down for teenagers.
Things previous generations took for granted – a simple weekend meet-up with friends, for example – have been denied to young people for almost two years. Their stoicism does them the greatest credit.
But merely recognising the sacrifices young people have made doesn’t begin to respond to the circumstances in which so many now find themselves.
As parents and teachers know equally well, children and teenagers respond best to the security of routine.
Through no fault of their own, countless young Scots have been denied such stability. Rather, they have had to deal with crippling uncertainty about their futures. As Scottish teenagers return to school, that uncertainty remains.
The Scottish Government is expected soon to announce that traditional National 5 and Higher exams will take place as normal next year. After two years during which grades were decided on the basis of teacher advice, the – perfectly healthy – pressure of exam conditions will return.
But while young people prepare for exams, the results of which might change their lives, they also face the pressure of continuous assessment at school.
A number of extra ‘planned assessments’ throughout the forthcoming academic year are proposed in the Government’s Education Recovery Strategy report. Such assessments could be depended upon for grades if next year’s examination diet is unable to proceed.
While this belt-and-braces approach to ensuring fair grades are awarded next year may be understandable, it will also mean additional work for both pupils and teachers.
Ms Sturgeon asked that she be judged on her stewardship of Scotland’s education system. She should be grateful that substantial numbers of Scots are yet to take her up on her offer.
The truth is that our education system – once the envy of the world – was in crisis long before the pandemic struck.
The SNP Government has presided over appalling falling standards in both literacy and numeracy. Furthermore, Ministers have frequently clashed with parents and pupils over the teaching reforms, with many still questioning whether the so-called Curriculum for Excellence is fit for purpose.
As Scotland’s pupils return to school, there are issues far beyond the chaos surrounding exams which must be addressed.
Pupils will return to their classes in the days ahead, uncertain about what the year will bring, once again let down by Nicola Sturgeon and her Ministers.