The way Higher history is assessed will be reviewed but the process will take time and will not be “a quick fix”, the SQA has said.
The SQA’s interim director of qualifications development, Donna Stewart, said it would undertake the work as part of its wider review of qualifications, which includes removing exams from practical subjects such as woodwork, metal work and practical cake craft.
Ms Stewart made the comments as senior SQA leaders gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee this morning - just two days after SQA chief executive Fiona Robertson stepped down.
The committee was continuing its scrutiny of the drop in the Higher history pass rate last year. The pass rate fell by 13.1 percentage points leading to just two thirds of students attaining an A to C grade in 2024, with many teachers blaming changing marking standards.
A review by the SQA found that marking standards did not change and instead blamed “the poor standard of responses” from students, but teachers have raised concerns about SQA conducting the investigation, as opposed to an independent body.
Independent review ruled out again
During the evidence session, SQA chair Shirley Rogers once again ruled out an independent review of the fall.
However, she said more could have been done to “explain, explore and have the appropriate levels of external involvement” in the review, which the SQA published in November.
She said the process the SQA embarked on “had all of the technical merit that was required” but “had not been had not been widely understood…beforehand”.
Ms Rogers said: “I’m not proposing that we reopen at this stage, what I am proposing is that the organisation learns from those things and is better placed for when inevitably something happens of a similar ilk.”
On what would change, Ms Rogers said the SQA needed to be more proactive “in terms of looking for those early signals that something might be challenging”. A system had now been put in place that would give “early warning when things start to look anomalous”.
Tes Scotland first reported the drop in the Higher history pass rate last August.
Another key improvement coming down the line would be the creation of a “schools’ unit” led by a headteacher, Ms Rogers said, with the SQA currently recruiting for the post. Ms Rogers said the unit would help teachers engage with the SQA, while helping it understand how it could better support schools.
“Almost always when something goes into a difficult territory, a big part of the solution to that is about how we communicate,” she said.
However, it was pointed out by committee convener Douglas Ross that direct lines of communication set up by the SQA for history teachers were not working.
In December, the SQA said it would open a “dedicated Higher history enquiry point”, giving teachers and school leaders a way to directly “raise any queries or questions they may have”. Mr Ross said one faculty head had branded the dedicated email address “a publicity stunt”, after two emails had led to unsatisfactory and delayed responses.
‘Intense’ session as MSPs grill SQA
Summing up as the meeting came to a close, Mr Ross described the session - which lasted well over two hours - as “intense”.
Arguably the tone was set from the start: in his opening question Mr Ross asked Ms Rogers to identify the SQA’s “biggest failing”.
Mr Ross went on to repeat questions multiple times as he tried to get to the bottom of what led to the SQA asking for 13 redactions from a survey of history teachers about the SQA review, conducted by the Scottish Association of Teachers of History - as well as the accusation from SATH that SQA had asked it not to publish a previous survey in 2020.
Mr Ross’ tenacity did not go unnoticed. SNP MSP George Adam, who also sits on the committee, criticised him for dominating the first 35 minutes of proceedings.
During the course of the meeting, Ms Rogers - who took over as chair in November 2023 - admitted it had sometimes seemed like the SQA was in “a really difficult spot” and at times she had felt “a little overwhelmed”.
However, she stressed that while there was “an awful lot to do as we transition into something new”, there was “very much in the SQA to be proud of” - noting “the sheer expertise” within the body.
Moving to Qualifications Scotland was, therefore, about “building on something”, she said.
She said: “Whilst we cherish that baby we need to change the bathwater and that does involve us doing the work I’ve talked about in terms of culture, in terms of values, in terms of the way in which we engage.”
Qualifications Scotland was the chance to create something new, she added.
However, Ms Rogers also said that the organisation had to understand what was being asked of it: “The sooner we get clarity from the bill that will be really, really helpful in letting the organisation see where it’s going.”
When that clarity comes, Ms Rogers said, the body would be able to “really push the pedal down”.
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