Just 12% of pupils ready for full return to exam coursework, survey finds

Scotland’s examinations body is “oblivious to the realities” facing pupils, a union has said as a survey of teachers suggests just 12% of students are prepared for a full return to pre-pandemic assessments.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) announced coursework for practical subjects for national qualifications will return in the 2023/24 exam diet.

The criteria was removed during the Covid-19 pandemic to ease the disruption to teaching and learning.

But full survey results of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA), which received 2,120 responses, found just over one in 10 pupils are ready, according to their teachers, while 68% are unprepared for the switch, and 20% of respondents said some pupils are ready.

A breakdown of the results by qualification level suggested just 30% of national four pupils are ready for the full return, compared to 26% at national five, 15% at higher and 18% at advanced higher.

The survey also found 50% said the teaching workload had increased a “great deal”.

SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson said: “The SSTA survey has shown that SQA must go back and reconsider its decision when pupils and teachers are still in the process of education recovery.

“To reintroduce pre-pandemic exam arrangements in 2024 when teachers say that only 12% of pupils are ready is foolhardy by an organisation that is oblivious of the realities in secondary schools.

“The damage to pupils’ learning and the task for teachers in trying to bridge the gap cannot be underestimated, and to make more changes to qualifications when the whole qualification system is about to change requires the SQA to think again.

“Members are concerned about the wellbeing of their pupils and the immeasurable workload demands on a profession that is already ‘on its knees’.

“The SQA needs to listen to the teachers who are in schools every day trying to support pupils and deliver the national qualifications. I challenge the SQA to engage with the profession and consider the findings of the SSTA survey.”

An SQA spokesperson said: “The decision to reintroduce coursework in 2024 is made in the best interests of learners and followed extensive engagement with teachers, lecturers, universities, colleges and unions, among others.

“This highlighted concerns about the detrimental impact temporary Covid modifications can have on learners’ development of knowledge, skills and understanding and on their progression into further or higher education or employment.

“A return to coursework provides learners with a more balanced approach to assessment, in line with the direction of travel emerging from the independent review of qualifications and assessment and is particularly beneficial to those learners who may not perform well in high-stakes exams.”