Young people forced to take 'perverse gamble' on grades after Scottish appeal process revealed

The new appeals system unveiled for this year’s school assessments will force young people to take a “perverse gamble” on their results, it was claimed, after education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville confirmed the process could see marks downgraded.

Ms Somerville said pupils unhappy with the grades they are awarded by their teachers can appeal against them directly to the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) for free for the first time.

However, she said appeals could see results downgraded as well as upgraded – despite calls from children’s rights experts for a “no-detriment” approach to be taken after a year in which the Covid pandemic has seen schools closed for months on end, and pupils left to home-school remotely.

Ms Somerville also said that grounds for appeal would only be on "disagreement with the centre’s [school’s] quality assured academic judgement, contested administrative or procedural error within SQA or the centre; and appeals related to the Equality Act, including assessment arrangements”.

A teenager taking a exam. Picture: David Davies/PA Wire