Scottish exams chief reveals why blank emails were sent to 7,500 pupils on results day

The head of Scotland’s exams body has said a blunder that led to thousands of pupils receiving blank emails on results day was down to “human error” and “ageing infrastructure”.

An investigation was launched by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) following the error, which impacted 7,500 learners.

SQA chief executive Fiona Robertson blamed a “technical issue” on results day, saying she was "really sorry", and suggesting it had involved a "supplier".

The problem emerged as concerned parents and learners flooded social media with posts about the blank emails on 6 August.

An email showing the blank space where the exam results should be | NationalWorld

Conservative MSP Liam Kerr described it as a “chaotic and shambolic situation” that was “the last thing pupils across Scotland needed on results day”.

Ms Robertson revealed the results of the internal investigation while being quizzed by MSPs on Holyrood’s education committee on Wednesday morning.

She said: “A small minority, around 5 per cent of learners, opt to get email only (results) - so around 7,500 learners.

“Unfortunately on results day, blank emails were sent out at 8 o’clock. Although it is important to highlight that all would get paper certificates, that wasn’t impacted.

“So blank emails were sent out at 8 o’clock. I was informed of that shortly thereafter, and by 9.15am the issue was resolved, and the correct emails were sent.

“We undertook a review in relation to what happened, of course. I think the priority on results day was obviously resolving the problem and putting it right, and that’s what we sought to do, first thing in the morning.

“It was an issue of human error, that effectively was a merged system between a shell email, which is what was sent, and the importing of individualised results to that shell email. So there was a human error in relation to that.

“We have a lot of manual processes and systems in SQA, and you know that is why one of the planks of our prospectus for change is transforming our technology, because with ageing infrastructure there are risks, and unfortunately, and it is with great regret, we saw how that played out on results day, but it was fixed really quickly.”

The SQA is due to be replaced by Qualifications Scotland next year. Concerns have been raised that the shake-up proposed in the Education Bill will deliver little more than a change in name, with the same leaders overseeing the new body.

In a letter to the committee, Ms Robertson revealed further details of the organisation’s “prospectus for change”, which has been approved by ministers and will be published soon.

They key goals will be resetting relationship with learners and educators to win back their trust, grasping the potential of technology to streamline services, and delivering qualifications and assessments that keep pace with rapid changes in society and the economy.

Measures including cutting the number of exams, introducing digital onscreen assessments to make them more accessible for learners, “reviewing and rationalising the qualifications portfolio so that it meets the needs of today’s society and economy”, and exploring the role of Artificial Intelligence in streamlining assessment processes and reducing school workloads.

Ms Robertson said: “There is a chance ahead of us to change not just governance and structures but culture too, particularly in terms of how Scotland’s qualifications body works with others across the education community and how it designs and delivers its products and services.”