Scottish pupils to sit fewer exams, but calls for SNP to scrap tests rejected amid lack of 'ambition' anger

School pupils will sit fewer exams, but a recommendation to scrap them altogether prior to fifth year has been rejected in a move branded a “missed opportunity” for reform of the system.

In an independent review of Scotland’s qualifications system published last year, Professor Louise Hayward had recommended that 15 and 16-year-olds be graded on coursework, and called for the introduction of a new Scottish Diploma of Achievement.

But Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth confirmed on Thursday that while there would be greater use of continuous assessment, exams would remain for most National 5 courses.

NI pupils got 31% A grades, English pupils got 21% As. NI had far more passes too. Either students in Northern Ireland are simply much better, or the assessment procedures in each jurisdiction are not comparable

Ms Gilruth said said some of the review recommendations were a “longer-term ambition” and needed more work.

But critics accused the Government of lacking “ambition”, with the Scottish Tories branding the decision as a “piecemeal approach” that had been blamed on a “lack of money”.

Making a statement to Holyrood, Ms Gilruth said: “I know from direct engagement as Cabinet Secretary that many young people prefer examinations over continuous assessment. 

“And, as evidenced by the teacher’s survey published earlier this year, many secondary school teachers who responded support the retention of exams as a means of applying a consistent and objective standard.”

Ms Gilruth said there needed to be a “degree of rationalisation of the senior phase” to “allow us to ensure clearer pathways, which are less confusing for young people”.

The senior minister also told MSPs the Government would explore “how modularisation of graded national courses can be reintroduced, so that pupils have maximum flexibility to build credit as they progress”, and admitted the education system could not be reformed without "giving teachers more time".

She said ministers remained “fully committed” to cutting weekly class-contact time by 90 minutes, and urged the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers “to move at pace”.

A new improvement plan will be published in coming months, which Ms Gilruth said would set out “the short, medium and longer-term priorities for Scottish education”.

Teachers will be heavily involved in the decision around how each subject will approach exams.

The Education Secretary said some more practical subjects, including practical woodworking and fashion and textile technology, may have exams scrapped by the 2025/26 academic year.

Children and Young People’s Commissioner Nicola Killean criticised the Scottish Government, saying it lacked commitment to comprehensive education reform, while pointing to the absence of set timelines or resources.

She said: “The Scottish Government’s long anticipated response to the Hayward Review was an opportunity to advance the change that young people desperately need. Yet instead of committing to the effort of comprehensive reform, today’s announcement was little more than tentative steps.  

“Within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is a clear obligation on the State to provide all children with an education that develops them to their fullest potential; mind, body, personality and talents. This should be the fundamental purpose of our education system. Too many children's and young people’s needs are not being met in our current system.” 

The Scottish Conservatives claimed the announced showed a lack of “long-term vision” that education experts had been “crying out for”.

Shadow education secretary Liam Kerr said: “Since the Cabinet secretary has chosen to ignore experts’ calls, it’s hard to have any confidence that her piece-meal approach will deliver the outcomes that need to happen.

“Jenny Gilruth pins the blame on a lack of money for her failure to outline a vision, which was the same excuse the SNP gave for ditching their previous pledges on free school meals.

“If that’s the case, she must urgently spell out what the costs for reform would be, and if she is lobbying her colleagues for further resources to deliver it.

Jenny Gilruth announced the decision on Thursday | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

“The SNP Government are keeping teachers, pupils and staff in the dark about what support it intends to offer schools to provide a broad curriculum suitable for all learners.

“Their failure to do so means the SNP’s overwhelming failures in education, including the growing poverty-related attainment gap, escalating violence and worsening attendance rates are simply not being addressed.”

The Scottish Greens described it as a "missed opportunity" to move on from a "Victorian-era exam system".

Scottish Greens education spokesperson Ross Greer called for the recommendations of the Hayward review to be implemented in full, and criticised the SNP for kicking many of the most important reforms “into the long grass”.

“The Scottish Greens have long argued for more use of continuous assessment, rather than the high-stakes end-of-term exam system we’ve had since the Victorian era,” he said. “I’m glad that, four years on from our party securing this review, continuous assessments will now come into regular use in Scotland’s schools. 

“The problem with today’s announcement is that little else will change. These assessments will be added to an already creaking system, rather than replace some exams as we had proposed. That leaves me seriously concerned about teacher workload.

“My fear is that today will go down as a missed opportunity. We could have taken our exams system out of the Victorian era by embracing Professor Hayward’s bold proposals in full. I can’t help, but feel that five or ten years from now, we will be back here, regretting that the Hayward reforms weren’t embraced at the time.

“An education system which continues punishing students suffering from illness or chaotic home situations around the time of their exams is not fit for the 21st century. Students have long called out for a fair chance to demonstrate all of their knowledge and abilities, and the proposed Scottish Diploma would have been a wonderful way to do this. It's disappointing to see that, like many other recommendations, be kicked well into the long grass.”

Scottish Labour Education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy claimed the SNP lacked ambition.

She said: “There is huge demand for reform, but today’s announcements don’t come close to delivering the level of ambition needed. The SNP has no bold new vision for education and it has failed to give teachers and pupils the certainty they need.

“There are countless questions left unanswered after this empty announcement. Scotland’s pupils, teachers and parents have been betrayed once again by chaotic and clueless SNP government.”

In a statement released by the office of Scotland’s Children and Young People’s Commissioner, Prof Hayward said her review had heard the senior phase of school was “dominated by preparation for exams, past papers, prelims, memorising chunks of text or prepared answers”.

Prof Ken Muir, whose own review led to reforms of Scotland educational agencies, said: “The Hayward recommendations present a unique opportunity to make a paradigm shift in the culture and mindset within Scottish education.

“Part of that shift must involve placing much greater emphasis on listening to, and acting on, the voices of children and young people in the governance arrangements arising from any structural changes to national bodies.”

The announcement was also welcomed by teaching union NASUWT, whose secretary general Dr Patrick Roach stressed changes must not become “burdensome on teachers”.

Dr Roach also raised the spectre of generative AI, which could be used in pupils’ coursework, while Prof Hayward also weighed in on the issue of artificial intelligence, saying: “There can be no more urgent priority than ensuring that Scotland’s young people are qualified for the future.”