Parents’ fury as Higher pupils face sitting ‘watered down’ final exams
PUPILS will sit ‘watered down’ Highers this year with coursework dropped in many subjects and exams shortened.
The Scottish Government’s exams quango has narrowed the syllabus in response to the pandemic.
Many areas covered by pupils in previous years will now be cut in 2020-21.
They will also not be tested on the practical elements of several courses.
Some of the changes – for example, the lowering of requirements for laboratory experiments – are based on the need for social distancing. But most of the alterations have been implemented to reduce ‘pressure on learning and teaching’.
The decisions – published on the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) website, but not announced formally by the Scottish Government – raise serious questions about how well prepared pupils will now be for university, college or the world of work.
Nicola Sturgeon ordered the closure of schools for several months at the end of the last school year.
That meant pupils studying for Highers this year missed four weeks of learning that would have taken place before the summer holidays.
The Scottish Government has already scrapped National 5 exams and Highers could yet be cancelled.
Jo Bisset, of the parents’ group Us For Them Scotland, fears the changes will result in ‘watered down’ Highers qualifications. She said: ‘This is children continuing to be short-changed by adults, who don’t seem to be putting their education first.’
Scottish Tory education spokesman Jamie Greene said: ‘Teachers, pupils and parents deserve full transparency at all times over what the SQA are doing in relation to education rather than having to endure a wall of secrecy.’
Higher subjects which have seen the coursework requirement scrapped include biology, chemistry, physics, economics, engineering, modern languages, geography, history, and modern studies while maths exam papers will be shortened.
The Scottish Government said it was not possible to plan for ‘business as usual’ for pupils this year.
A spokesman said: ‘Decisions on the content of national qualifications have rightly always rested with the SQA, whose responsibility it is to devise qualifications – not politicians.
‘Work towards exams would normally start back in May, when schools were closed, so pupils have already lost a significant amount of teaching time and we cannot predict how much more time might be lost to Covid-19 in the coming months.
‘What we can do is learn from last year, consult teachers and educationalists and listen to the experts in awarding systems to ensure that pupils’ work is properly recognised.’
The SQA said changes to Highers would only apply to this academic year.
A spokesman said: ‘They are intended to create additional learning and teaching time while maintaining the validity, credibility and standard of the qualifications. The SQA is engaging with hundreds of staff from school, colleges, and local authorities to help us develop appropriate contingencies collaboratively.’
‘Children continue to be shortchanged’