A free and direct appeals service - giving all students the right to request a review of their marked exam papers - will be available in the wake of the 2023 exams, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has confirmed.
In addition, an “exceptional circumstances service” will be in place for those who are unable to sit an exam or whose performance is affected by personal circumstances. This will be based on a review of alternative assessment evidence provided by a student’s school or college.
The SQA has also said that in March it will distribute copies of Your Exams - an information booklet with guidance for students and tips on studying - to everyone sitting National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams.
Last year the SQA published study guides for some subjects ahead of the exams, but these sparked a scathing response from teachers, who described them as “patronising” and said they added nothing to the advice already given out by thousands of teachers.
However, secondary school leaders and teachers will likely welcome appeals being free of charge this year. Before the Covid pandemic, schools were charged for review requests that did not result in a change of grade - fuelling concerns that financial barriers could influence decisions on whether to make an appeal.
The confirmation of the model that will be in place this year - which essentially marks a return to the old “post-results service” - comes after the SQA revealed yesterday that an evaluation of the appeals service put in place last year found that it had increased teacher workload “substantially”, led to more assessment and was widely perceived as unfair.
SQA unveils exam appeals process for 2023
In 2022 a result could be appealed if the teacher estimate was higher than the final grade, and appeals were based on alternative assessment evidence gathered over the course of the year by schools. However, approximately 70 per cent of appeals were rejected by the SQA.
This year there will be no requirement for alternative assessment evidence. Instead, students who believe their final grade is incorrect will be able to request a review of their SQA-marked exams and coursework.
Where a student cannot sit an exam for reasons beyond their control, or has been affected by a personal circumstance - such as a medical condition or bereavement - they can seek support from their school or college to request a review of their alternative assessment evidence under the Examination Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service.
The SQA will continue to provide a priority service for students who need their appeal outcomes quickly to confirm a conditional offer for university, further education, training or employment. This will also be free of charge.
It will share more information in the coming weeks with students, schools, colleges, parents and carers on how to use the appeals services.
Three leading members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) welcomed the fact that the post-results service reintroduced this year will be free and allow direct appeals, but said they were “disappointed that alternative evidence will not be taken into account in appeals, other than in exceptional circumstances”.
In a joint statement, chair Sophie Reid, policy and public affairs trustee Gavin Stewart and education committee convener Beinn Grant said: “Our education continues to be disrupted by the legacy of the pandemic, as well as by new and emerging challenges in the classroom.
“MSYPs and other young people on various national education groups have told SQA and other stakeholders that we think that alternative evidence should be taken into account in decisions about appeals, as part of a wider set of improvements that would put young people’s rights at the heart of the education system.”
The three MSYPs were “concerned that, again, it appears that the views of other stakeholders in the education system are regarded as more important than the views and the rights of young people on this matter”.
Andrea Bradley, general secretary of the EIS teaching union, said: “Appeals are not the fix for the inequalities that are ingrained in the current system of one-off, high-stakes assessment. What we need is a complete overhaul of senior-phase assessment in the interests of quality learning, teaching and assessment that is underpinned by the principle of equity.”
She added: “While exams remain in place, and while the impact of Covid on learning continues, it is essential that learners receive the support that they need as they learn and through the SQA’s exceptional circumstances service, should they require to access it.”
SQA chief executive Fiona Robertson said: “The vast majority of learners get the right result first time. However, it is important that we offer a service for learners to appeal their results.
“We also want to ensure that those learners who have faced exceptional circumstances are supported. Appeals 2023 and the Examination Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service are part of a continuing package of support for learners developed by SQA and the wider education community.”
Ms Robertson added: “I would like to thank the thousands of learners, teachers, lecturers, principal assessors, parents and carers who have shared their views about awarding in 2022 as part of our extensive evaluation. This feedback has played an important role in informing the services we offer to learners this year.”
Today’s announcement follows confirmation in April last year that modifications to assessment would be retained to take into account the continuing impact of disruption to learning caused by the global pandemic.
According to the SQA, more than 3,500 students, teachers, lecturers, parents and carers have reflected on their experiences of national qualifications in a large-scale evaluation of the approach taken to awarding in 2022.
While some findings on appeals have been shared, the full findings will not be published until the spring.
