SCHOOL pupils in Renfrewshire who complained about being given lower grades in their exams because of where they live yesterday won an apology from the Scottish Government.

There was widespread anger after students from less affluent areas were unfairly disadvantaged by a controversial new marking system that replaced this year’s tests.

The country’s exams body, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), lowered about 125,000 estimated grades across the country after considering each secondary school’s past results.

But, yesterday afternoon, Education Secretary John Swinney announced that exam results downgraded by the controversial ‘moderation’ process will now revert to the grades estimated by pupils’ teachers.

He also apologised to pupils affected by the lowering of results and confirmed marks moderated upwards will not change.

Renfrewshire South MSP Tom Arthur was among those to have raised questions over the way results had been calculated.

The Johnstone-based politician said: “Like many of my constituents, I have been concerned about the reports on the statistical process used to moderate grades awarded to pupils.

“Our schools are on an upward trajectory and nothing should detract from that.”

All exams were cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the results of prelim tests and teacher estimates submitted instead.

As part of the moderation process, the pass rate of pupils in the most deprived areas was controversially cut by more than 15 per cent by the SQA. However, the pass rate for pupils from the most affluent backgrounds dropped by less than seven per cent.

Critics argued that pupils from poorer areas were more likely to fail because their schools may not have fared so well in the past.

Labour MSP Neil Bibby, who represents Renfrewshire as part of his West Scotland remit, described the SQA’s moderation system as “blatant discrimination” against disadvantaged pupils.

“This year’s exam results punished hard-working students just because they live in poorer areas,” he told The Gazette.

“They appear to have marked the schools and not the pupils, which could have had life-changing consequences for working class young people in our community.

“Why should pupils from affluent areas be treated more favourably than pupils from poorer areas in Renfrewshire?

“For the first time in the history of Scottish education, we had a government agency actively discriminating against poorer young people. It beggars belief.”

Around 100 school pupils gathered in Glasgow on Friday to stage a protest against their exam results.

However, the SQA still maintained the system it used was designed to ensure fairness by adopting a consistent, evidence-based approach in the absence of exams.

The Gazette asked both the SQA and Renfrewshire Council for details of how many pupils at Johnstone High had achieved five or more qualifications at National 5 this year compared to last year, as well as the number of pupils there who had achieved three or more Highers in 2019 and 2020.

However, the SQA said only councils were in a position to release this information, while the council said it was unable to.

A council spokesperson added: “We hope the results pupils received match the effort and hard work they put in across the year.”

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Mr Swinney confirmed he has told the SQA to revert downgraded results to the estimates “based solely on teacher or lecturer judgment.”

“I can confirm to Parliament today that all downgraded awards will be withdrawn,” he added.

“Schools will be able to confirm the estimates they provided for pupils to those that are returning to school this week and next.

“The SQA will issue fresh certificates to affected candidates as soon as possible and, importantly, will inform UCAS and other admission bodies of the new grades as soon as practical in the coming days to allow for applications to college and university to be progressed.”

Mr Swinney said the backlash from angry pupils and parents “outweighed” the Scottish Government’s desire to suppress grade inflation.

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