More than 60 per cent of parents with children studying for national qualifications this year say they do not feel well enough informed about how qualifications will be awarded, according to a Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) survey.

The survey of in excess of 1,000 parents of pupils in senior secondary - obtained by Tes Scotland using Freedom of Information legislation - shows that almost 63 per cent said they felt ill-informed about how qualifications would be awarded.

When asked if there were areas they needed more information on, 73 per cent of parents said “yes”.

News: Statement on 2021 appeals process expected next week

First Minister: We won’t have another qualifications fiasco, says Sturgeon

A student’s view: If these aren’t exams, why have we got exam stress?

Children’s commissioner: ‘There’s still time to do right by young people on assessment’

A teacher’s view: How to avoid a repeat of the 2020 results debacle

WATCH: SQA exam results hinge on teacher judgement, says Sturgeon

An analysis of the survey - which aimed to find out how parents of pupils in S4 to S6 felt about the SQA’s communication and engagement - says “uncertainty around the 2021 ACM [alternative certification model] was very stressful for them and, particularly, their children”.

It adds that the survey uncovered “many instances of respondents bemoaning SQA’s perceived poor performance over the course of the pandemic (not just in terms of communication and engagement)” - although the analysis also notes that some parents “acknowledged the difficult situation and appreciated the efforts that have been made”.

Parents used the survey to pose a wide range of questions about how qualifications were going to be awarded this year. However, some said they simply needed the whole 2021 awarding process explained clearly.

The report says: “More than 100 respondents argued that they needed clearer information, encompassing the whole 2021 ACM process.”

Some of the questions being posed by parents laid bare the lack of understanding, with some asking if the process was going to be the same as 2020 and if algorithms would be used.

When former education secretary John Swinney announced, in December, that all exams were all cancelled, he was at pains to stress “that no algorithm will be used in this exercise”. However, the survey shows that, months later, this message had failed to filter through to parents.

Key areas that parents were looking for more guidance on included how their children would be assessed, how grades would be decided on and what the evidence requirements were.

Parents were seeking answers to a wide range of questions. They wanted to know how grading would work, what the grades would be based on, what quality assurance would take place, how much allowance would be given for loss of learning, how much course content had been removed to compensate for time out of school and if more than one teacher would mark their child’s assessments

Only 7.5 per cent of respondents said they were aware of the SQA’s 2021 blog for parents, carers and learners.

However, when asked how they would prefer to receive updates, 750 respondents said they would prefer a written blog post, while 240 suggested that they would like to receive emails directly from SQA.

The survey analysis says: “Many parents are looking for reassurance from the SQA for themselves and their children. Regardless of their preferred method of communication delivery, many respondents suggested that SQA communications need to be timely, frequent, and, most importantly, clear and concise.”

The survey - which received responses from 1,264 parents and carers who had at least one child taking at least one national qualification - was conducted in February with the results analysed in a report published in March.

Eileen Prior, the executive director of parents’ organisation Connect, said parents and carers have “high levels of anxiety around qualifications” and that the results of the SQA survey “very much echo our findings”.

She said: “Parents are telling us about the mixed and contradictory messages they have been receiving. It’s highly likely that those who are well connected to their child’s school, and feel confident to ask and seek answers both from school and online, will feel more confident that they understand the process.

“However, many feel their concerns are not being addressed and what is happening in schools currently disregards the rights of young people to fair treatment, despite many having demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of sometimes overwhelming circumstances.”