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Original poster

Exam diet 2021.

325 replies

wingingitwithgin · 25/03/2021 17:56

So we were told no National 5s or Highers last term.
My child has been continually assessed and tested week after week. Prelims in school before Christmas and online after Christmas.

Online learning better than 2020 but not great. No live lessons. Lots and lots of new material given but not taught.
Today announced exams to go ahead start of May as planned. Prelims disregarded as some done online so all prelims even school sat ones won't count.
Exam in May will determine grade. If pupil is self isolating /COVID they will use other evidence.

My child is burnt out by the switching of goalposts. Another month doing new material, no study leave then exams like normal (only the poor teachers marking them)

Ok this would seem fair if all schools doing this but their friends at 2 different high schools say they are just continuing with mini class tests like autumn term. Madness the difference in approach.

What are your schools doing?

OP posts:
Lovetomato · 29/05/2021 14:17

Our school has also said that the marks going forward to the SQA will be discussed with each pupil before they break up for Summer. Whether they will be given an unconfirmed grade or a percentage score, I’m not sure.

My child was told that they will look at both the final ‘exam’ marks and the mark they scored in the ‘prelims’ (taken just 2 or 3 weeks before) into consideration (plus any essays/tests done under exam conditions after Easter) to arrive at their projected grade. My child has performance elements in Music and a Higher English portfolio essay to factor in too.

I would normally be happy if they said just go on the final exam performance but the widespread cheating and/or school-enabled multiple-attempts-for-a-high mark approach, has changed my mind on this.

forfucksakenett · 29/05/2021 14:37

@Importexport

A friend of mine has children who attend a private school and assessments were set over a period of 3 weeks. Once marked if a pupil wasn't happy with their results they were able to sit the paper again. As a consequence my friend's son now has 5A's at Higher. In a 'normal' year his results would not have been outstanding. My son by contrast, at a state school will not know his final results until August. It seems unfair that schools are acting so differently. I guess it is inevitable due to the lack of direction from the SQA. I wonder how many schools, in particular in the private sector are over inflating marks? Brace yourselves for a high university drop out in the next couple of years!!
That's awful. Are you sure they are sitting the same paper again. I would expect to be sacked if I did that.
WeAllHaveWings · 29/05/2021 16:20

My child was told that they will look at both the final ‘exam’ marks and the mark they scored in the ‘prelims’ (taken just 2 or 3 weeks before) into consideration (plus any essays/tests done under exam conditions after Easter) to arrive at their projected grade.

Ds had been told similar, it won't only be one piece of evidence used.

Rumours seem to imply results are very low this year in his school. A pupil (allegedly) overheard 2 science teachers talking who said they would have needed to drop the grade boundary down to 61% to get the same A results as previous years. A lot of the kids in his year just didn't engage with remote learning or studying, choosing to go out during school time instead, and they are seeing the results of that. Not sure what they will do with that, as I don't think it would be the right thing to do to, or fair the those who did work hard, to lower the boundaries so low for those reasons.

cocopops · 29/05/2021 22:36

@Importexport

A friend of mine has children who attend a private school and assessments were set over a period of 3 weeks. Once marked if a pupil wasn't happy with their results they were able to sit the paper again. As a consequence my friend's son now has 5A's at Higher. In a 'normal' year his results would not have been outstanding. My son by contrast, at a state school will not know his final results until August. It seems unfair that schools are acting so differently. I guess it is inevitable due to the lack of direction from the SQA. I wonder how many schools, in particular in the private sector are over inflating marks? Brace yourselves for a high university drop out in the next couple of years!!
I’m not sure why you imply that teachers at an independent school are more likely to over inflate marks ....🙄.....

Anyway, my DD’s school could be the one you are talking about. However, the second set of exams which pupils can choose to sit for additional evidence, are not the same set as the ones they just sat! They sat the SQA specimen papers in the first instance and the second set of exams were the prelim exams which they would have sat in January, had there not been a lockdown.

Both sets were done in exam conditions and weren’t any different to sitting exams in a non COVID year. The only difference this year is that because the entire cohort didn’t sit the same exam on the same day, those schools using the SQA papers who have delayed their “non exam diet” will have many pupils going into the exam hall who already know what the questions are due to leaks on social media. So, in that respect, the pupils at the independent schools are actually at a disadvantage.

WeAllHaveWings · 29/05/2021 22:48

It's OK @cocopops, they won't be disadvantaged as our HT can "totally reassure you that our staff and indeed those across our country are expert at marking assessments and have long been able to identify malpractice."

Feeling more sorry for the teachers as each day passes.

Im sure (hope!) if any school, private or state, has huge grade inflation their assessments will be closely scrutinised to see how the assessments were performed.

Mistressiggi · 29/05/2021 23:21

So, in that respect, the pupils at the independent schools are actually at a disadvantage. I don't see how you got from your description to this conclusion?
Results could well go up this year - a lot of schools for good reasons are sitting individual units for each subject (rather than all together in a longer exam) and many students will do better in this scenario. Less pressure and more of a rest between essays, for example.

WeAllHaveWings · 30/05/2021 00:57

Results could well go up this year - a lot of schools for good reasons are sitting individual units for each subject (rather than all together in a longer exam)

I'm sure there was a post on here a couple of months back with an excerpt from an sqa document and it said if a school choose/have to do exams as individual units rather than in one sitting the grade boundaries are lifted to ensure it is fair.

Mistressiggi · 30/05/2021 10:49

None of this is fair. We aren't supposed to be replicating exams either. I understand re the boundary thing and would apply this to a paper that was easier to access than a "normal" one. Is every school adjusting their grade boundaries? If you use evidence from a prelim earlier in the year so you adjust that upwards as they hadn't had much practice at that stage? My head hurts from it all (and it's Sunday, so I will stop thinking about it now!)

cocopops · 30/05/2021 12:57

@Mistressiggi

So, in that respect, the pupils at the independent schools are actually at a disadvantage. I don't see how you got from your description to this conclusion? Results could well go up this year - a lot of schools for good reasons are sitting individual units for each subject (rather than all together in a longer exam) and many students will do better in this scenario. Less pressure and more of a rest between essays, for example.
If you read Lindsay Paterson’s critique in the Sunday Times today, it spells it out.
aurea · 30/05/2021 13:48

@cocopops
Any chance you could copy and paste the Sunday Times article?

I don't have access....

Mistressiggi · 30/05/2021 14:02

I've no interest in reading someone else's article. You made the claim on this thread so I assumed you could explain it all on your own!

Mistressiggi · 30/05/2021 14:41

Have read the article (thanks for the link) nothing in it about private schools being disadvantaged.

Cismyfatarse · 30/05/2021 15:21

SAS (Education sacrifice now in charge of the shit show) is making a big announcement in Holyrood tomorrow. Supposedly about appeals but could be more.

Schools have been told pupils and parents can appeal (in June and again in September) but not how. And what evidence they will expect us to find.

If I have marked it all, got it crossmarked, agreed a grade (band) I am not sure as a PT that I will suddenly uncover the golden nugget that turns a pupil from a C to a B.

I have already scraped every barrel for evidence and would be surprised if anyone could find anything to bring about an improvement at all. They might find out said pupil is really a D but I gave the benefit of the doubt.

What happens then?

aurea · 30/05/2021 15:54

@rogdmum thanks for the link Smile

CIS: will the pupils get just told their bands or their percentages broken down?

Thanks

Cismyfatarse · 30/05/2021 17:41

Bands are official.

But schools are supposed to keep learners up to date with individual assessment results which would give clues to a percentage. However, it is not wholly mathematical and might involve some judgement but that would be in the pupil's favour, not to remove marks.

aurea · 30/05/2021 19:58

Thanks Cis Smile

LoopyGremlin · 30/05/2021 21:27

@cocopops I’m sure no independent school pupils have ever been disadvantaged....

applesandpears33 · 31/05/2021 15:08

This is all quite worrying. My DC who is in S5 tells me that everything seems to be going well, but they are sitting 3 assessments per subject and if the grade boundaries are increased then they may have to do better than they expect to get an A. I've been looking at the entry grades for different Uni courses and it is so discouraging. Courses which required fairly standard grades when I applied for Uni back in the dark ages now require a string of A passes.

WeAllHaveWings · 31/05/2021 15:30

ds(17) finished his assessments and reassessments on Friday, hope that is the end of it. He has Mon-Wed off school for the bank holiday and 2 in-service days.

He has had a lovely sunny weekend 🌞, without the pressure of studying, long lie ins 😴, out practice driving 🚗, went to quiet local beach with friends ⛱ yesterday and foot golf ⛳⚽ (who knew that was a thing!) today. Totally care free 🥳 as a teenager should be, it is great having him back to his usual self.

Meanwhile I have the same worries as you @applesandpears33 and keep wondering what he is going to do if he either doesn't get the grades for uni or if there is massive grade inflation and it gets really competitive and he doesn't get in Sad Not sure if I will relax until he gets his results now and we also see how it has went as a whole.

Cismyfatarse · 31/05/2021 17:39

So, SQA promised an update by the end of May and......crickets.

SAS was supposed to report to parliament but.... crickets.

I am so, so fed up with the bastards running this shit show and what they are doing to pupils, teachers and parents.

Honestly, if you have a child involved in this mess please, please shout about it to MSPs.

How can we award grades when the process (appeals etc) is still not clear and has not been released in spite of repeated promises?

What do we do about fairness between schools. My pupils have sat their assessments under times conditions but I hear tell of open book, unlimited time and re-testing using the same paper.

It is an absolute shit show. I did not vote for these bastards but, if I had, I would be even more furious.

LoopyGremlin · 31/05/2021 18:51

Hear hear @Cismyfatarse
My pupils have also sat the assessments under exam conditions with no hints of what areas are in the paper but told to revise all the topics. If what you’ve heard is true, then I’m furious. Angry

Cismyfatarse · 31/05/2021 19:52

Some of it I know to be true (reliable source at my previous school) and some I have heard but don't know who told the person who told me.

Even if it is only partly true, the door was opened to this when they gave out a paper to use when you want.

Mistressiggi · 31/05/2021 20:06

I suspect the majority of schools and staff are behaving as professionally as they always do and will not be running tests that unfairly advantage their students. But I suspect some will have less integrity, and some may feel pressurised into it (and that's even before the appeals)
I thought an announcement was due today?

LoopyGremlin · 31/05/2021 20:06

Oh, absolutely the SQA are firmly responsible for this mess. But you do have to question the integrity of our colleagues if they are allowing this to happen.