A student is petitioning Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Qualifications Authority to give students a level playing field.

Moffat Academy head boy Elliott Hepburn said that last year’s SQA appeals process paid more respect to what students had learned over the course of the year.

But this year, the SQA will return to a more basic appeals process.

Rather than taking prelims and coursework into account, as they did in 2022, reviewers will only look back at SQA-marked assessments to check for errors in grading or processing.

Elliott wants to force policy makers to change their minds.

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He said this year’s system doesn’t credit students for months of hard work. Instead, the final grade reflects their performance on a single day.

“It is incredibly unjust to take away the support mechanism of appeals as they were carried out in 2022.

“A feature of Scotland’s education system is equity, yet the changes to the appeals process in 2023 will lead to very unequal outcomes.

“What I want to achieve from the petition is a fairer system. One exam is not a true reflection of what students are capable of.”

He is petitioning Scottish Parliament to have the 2022 policies reinstated.

The Herald: Moffat Academy head boy Elliott Hepburn Moffat Academy head boy Elliott Hepburn (Image: Moffat Academy head boy Elliott Hepburn)

Giving a voice to students

Elliott will be moving on to the University of Edinburgh next year to study law. He felt that the appeals process made last year's results fairer.

“Last year, appeals weren’t a safety net but a way to even the playing field.

“Without the appeals, I’m not sure I would have gotten into Edinburgh University."

And although this year’s exams won’t decide his future, he still wants the SQA to reconsider its position.

“I’m from a small town and it’s hard to have your voice heard in Glasgow or Edinburgh or to make noise in Parliament. I really hope this petition helps to get more people thinking about the appeals system and how we can make it fairer.

“Taking this approach to appeals can only be a benefit to students. I want to make a difference for the people who come after me.”

What were last year’s guidelines?

Due to the impact of Covid-19 on class schedules, course requirements and exam structure, the 2022 appeals system allowed reviewers to consider prelim results and student coursework when determining a final grade.

Elliott said that many adults he speaks to don’t understand the appeals process.

“When I explain to them what I’m calling for and how we want it to look, they’re often surprised and wonder why it isn’t like that already.”

This was the reaction of multiple MSPs when Elliott’s petition was discussed at a recent meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee.

Committee convener Jackson Carlaw said: “I am struck by the fact that the appeals process now is simply that a senior marker focuses on the correctness and consistency of the initial marking and no longer considers alternative assessment evidence.

“I have to say that I thought that that was very often the principal thing that many schools submitted on behalf of pupils.”

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Last year, even if a marking error on a student’s SQA exam gave them a better score than they earned, they were allowed to keep that higher grade if their coursework or prelims supported it. 

In many other scenarios, the 2022 appeals policy placed greater weight on coursework and prelims than on the final exam mark.

How will appeals work this year?

But such possibilities are off the table under the rules of the 2023 appeals system. This year, reviewers will only check that:

  • all parts of SQA assessments have been marked
  • the marking is in line with national standards
  • the marks given for each answer have been totalled correctly
  • the correct result has been entered into the SQA system

When asked whether the SQA would consider Elliott’s petition and revert to the 2022 process, a spokesperson said that the agency is confident in its process.

“The service was developed following an extensive evaluation of the exams and appeals services that were in place in 2022, with more than 3,500 learners, teachers, lecturers, parents, carers and principal assessors feeding back their views and experiences.

“As we recognise that the impact of the pandemic is still being felt by learners and practitioners, our approach to setting standards and grading in 2023 will continue to be sensitive to the extent of that ongoing impact.”

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Jenny Gilruth has said that the SQA is responsible for setting its own operational procedures, suggesting the Government won’t add any pressure on the SQA to make amendments to the process.

The Examination Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service will still offer to review alternative evidence such as prelims for students with exceptional circumstances. 

Elliott’s petition before Scottish Parliament has gathered 578 signatures since he launched it at the start of April. 

The 2023 appeals process opens on Tuesday, August 8. The deadline for priority appeals is Tuesday, August 15 for priority appeals and Tuesday, August 29 for all others.