Shake-up means 20% of pupils sit no exams

Published on Thursday 11 June 2009 22:03

ONE in five pupils will leave school without having to sit any exams under a radical overhaul of qualifications in Scotland unveiled yesterday.

As part of a move to scrap Standard Grades, new qualifications known as Nationals will be introduced from 2013. But significantly, the new two-tier system will mean pupils in S3 will only be assessed internally.

Teachers have warned only the brightest students will be permitted to take exams in S4.

Peter Wright, president of trade union the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA), said the key success of Standard Grade was that it provided every child with access to national exams.

He said: "The proposed new exams will restrict externally graded national certification to the most able cohort of pupils.

"The SSTA fears this will lead to pressure on secondary schools and teachers

… from parents who seek to have their children placed in 'certificate' classes which they will perceive to be the only assured route to the 'gold standard' Higher

… (and from] headteachers seeking improved achievement for their schools in league tables."

Ann Ballinger, SSTA general secretary, said employers would not have the same faith in qualifications which were only internally assessed.

From 2013, Standard and Intermediate grades will be replaced by National qualifications at levels 4 and 5.

National 5 will be an externally assessed exam taken at the end of S4 and graded by letter. National 4 will be taken in S3 and assessed internally by teachers. Pupils will not receive a grade.

Students will sit the first of the raft of new compulsory qualifications, which include tests for numeracy and literacy, in 2014.

Critics have warned testing pupils at this stage in their schooling was too late, and would simply be a badge of failure with no time to help them improve before they left school.

Highers and Advanced Highers have survived the shake-up, but the current Intermediate exam has been scrapped along with Standard Grades.

Government statistics show that, at present, 20 per cent of pupils leave school with a Standard Grade at general level – the equivalent to the new National level 4 qualification. That suggests the same percentage would probably not go on to sit the National level 5 and therefore leave school without sitting an externally marked formal exam.

With compulsory literacy and numeracy tests also being only internally assessed, that means those who do not take a level 5 qualification would leave school without sitting a single exam.

Ms Hyslop said the moves would give teachers more autonomy.

And Tony Finn, chief executive of the teaching profession's watchdog, the General Teaching Council for Scotland, said: "Scottish teachers are thoroughly professional and their skills and expertise make them well-placed to assess the standards which their pupils have attained.

"In addition, less reliance on external testing should allow schools to allocate more time for teaching."

Children going into primary seven in August will be the first group to experience the system.

Making the grade – what the changes mean

UNDER the current system, pupils sit Standard Grade exams in fourth year (S4) at three different levels: credit, general and foundation, depending on their ability.

Credit level grade 1 is the highest achievable, with a grade 7, the lowest.

Although the system means 99 per cent of pupils who sit Standard Grades leave with a certificate, the foundation levels (5 and 6) and general grade 4 are generally considered the equivalent of a fail.

The system was introduced in the 1980s and was hailed as a move towards a truly comprehensive system.

However, the fact that so many pupils gained a certificate led to criticisms that it was too easy and did not reflect the talents of the able. The new system will see teachers decide whether S3 pupils have achieved National 4 level, for which they will award a pass or fail rather than a grade.

Able S4 pupils will sit National 5 exams at the end of compulsory schooling which will be graded, but with the confusing 1-7 grading of the Standard Grade replaced by an A-C system.