Pupils ‘cheated’ by downgrade
School pupils affected by the exam results debacle have been tearing into the SQA and Scottish Government this week.
And they were supported by opposition politicians in South Lanarkshire, who called for the education secretary to resign. John Swinney MSP has come in for mass criticism after allegations thousands of Scots students did not get the grades they deserved because of where they went to school.
An East Kilbride teenager says he has been “cheated” by the system after receiving poorer results than expected.
Matthew Thorburn was one of dozens of pupils affected by the SQA exam debacle in the area and says the processes put in place have failed thousands like him across Scotland.
The Calderglen pupil was speaking out after receiving one B, two Cs and one fail, where he expected two As, one B and one C.
The 17-year-old told the News: “Since I was younger, I always tend to put more work in the last part of term.
“Last year I did well in my Nat 5s, but hadn’t done well in my prelims. That’s what I expected to do this year as well.
“I’ve been doing well throughout the year, so I was disappointed when I got my results. I feel cheated, as if the system has failed and I haven’t gotten what I deserved.”
With no exams sat this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) ran a system based on teacher assessments.
However, officials then applied a moderation technique which led to about 125,000 estimates being downgraded.
That saw Higher pass rates for pupils in more deprived areas have their mark reduced by 15.2 per cent, in comparison with 6.9 per cent for pupils from the most affluent backgrounds, based on how their school had previously performed rather than their own individual performance.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has now admitted her government got this wrong and has apologised for the upset, stress and disappointment caused.
She admitted the approach was too focused on the “overall system” and not enough on individual pupils. Education Secretary John Swinney set out plans to fix the mess as the News went to print on Tuesday.
It was expected that from that, the onus would be taken away from students to submit appeals. However, thousands like Matthew have already appealed, with hundreds turning out to protest the matter at rallies across Scotland last week.
Matthew added: “I’ve appealed every result and I am checking with my teachers to see what they put me forward for.
“For me, the teachers should have more say rather than this postcode lottery, which is a joke. I feel really disappointed, particularly in history where I was one per cent away from a B in my prelims and was given a C.
“Yet my pal in the class got 37 per cent in her prelim and was awarded a B. It makes no sense.”
With plenty of extra-curricular efforts to back up his coursework, Matthew started an HNC in police studies at college alongside his fifth year to help with plans to join the force after his education.
That includes volunteering for the Boys’ Brigade and completing the Duke of Edinburgh award.
Indeed, last year John Swinney MSP awarded Matthew and his friends with the Kilbride hike cup for first place.
He hopes to study psychology at university and had planned on doing an advanced higher in his sixth year, along with a leadership module to support his HNC, and higher photography which is also of interest.
However, if his results aren’t changed on appeal or otherwise, those plans may change and could affect the path he takes into his career.
Matthew’s mum, Susan, was furious at the “mess” her son’s future had been left in.
She told the News: “What’s the point of asking teachers for their assessment of students then ignoring this, downgrading grades and trying to justify why some people were reduced and others left?
“John Swinney and the SQA have let him down by reducing grades for students just to keep overall percentages looking right.”
In a letter to Mr Swinney, she wrote: “You should be ashamed of yourself.”