This year's Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) results have been published and show a decline in pass rates compared with 2020.
However, they are still well up on 2019 - the last year in which a conventional exams diet was held. Headline figures also indicate a significant increase in the proportion of 'A' passes compared with the pre-Covid period - a trend that is likely to spark grade inflation fears.
The 2021 National 5, Higher and Advanced pass rates, based on attainment at grades A to C, were 85.8 per cent, 87.3% and 90.2%, respectively.
This compares with a 2020 National 5 pass rate of 89%, which was recorded after John Swinney, then Education Secretary, U-turned on the use of algorithm-based moderation in the face of mounting public fury and directed the SQA to re-issue results based solely on teacher or lecturer judgement. The post-U-turn Higher pass rate last year was 89.3%, with a figure of 93.1% recorded for Advanced Higher courses.
It should also be remembered that the alternative assessment processes in 2020 and 2021 differed in significant ways. Arrangements in 2020 – when lockdown hit schools after the crucial December to March period in which pupils typically sit prelims and begin undertaking the in-depth preparation needed for top exam grades - allowed teacher judgement to include a balance of demonstrated and inferred attainment.
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Inferred attainment involves teachers making decisions based on their wider knowledge of pupils and what they think would have been achieved in an exam or test if, for example, it has not been possible to hold one.
This year’s results, which come after schools were closed for much of the winter, are based solely on evidence of demonstrated attainment. The 2021 process – formally known as the Alternative Certification Model – was the source of much controversy, with young people subjected to gruelling schedules of assessments, often in exam-like conditions, as teachers scrambled to gather evidence necessary for provisional results.
Statistics for 2019 show National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher pass rates of 78.2%, 74.8% and 79.4%, respectively.
Fiona Robertson, SQA’s Chief Executive and Scotland’s Chief Examining Officer, said: "This has been a very challenging year for everyone and today is a results day like no other. With awarding based on teacher and lecturer judgement this year, learners have known their results since the end of June. However, as envelopes, text messages and emails arrive from SQA this morning, it is a time to celebrate the achievements of learners right across Scotland. Today, almost 137,000 learners have received SQA certificates, the largest since 2017 and we report on a strong set of results.
"The whole Scottish education system, including learners, parents and carers, has worked together to develop and deliver an Alternative Certification Model that makes sure that learners have received the qualifications they deserve, and can move on to further or higher education, training or employment, with confidence.
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"Everyone worked hard to ensure the model was credible and fair so we can all have confidence in the certificates that have been awarded today.
"I want to thank everyone who has played their part, directly or indirectly, in delivering for learners this year in the most exceptional circumstances."
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