Every year, my colleagues at SQA and I are asked what happens between learners finishing their exams and coursework in April and May and receiving their results in August.
With examinations running from late April through to the end of May, people want to know why they don’t receive a Scottish Qualifications Certificate in the post before August.
Put simply, it takes time to ensure everything is marked correctly and graded to the national standard and that certificates are checked and printed.
This year, our markers – who are experienced teachers and lecturers – have marked over 1.35 million assessments.
Once all the exams and coursework have been marked, SQA holds a grade boundary meeting for every subject at every level, where we decide how many marks are needed to achieve each grade and make sure that the results reached are a fair and correct reflection of the standard of the work completed.
Making the grade
At each grade boundary meeting, we work with teachers and lecturers to make sure all the exams and coursework for that subject, at that level, have been marked appropriately to the same standard as previous years.
Doing this ensures that the results you receive this year are valued just as much as the grades awarded in previous years. That consistency gives employers, colleges, and universities confidence in your skills, knowledge, and abilities. They know – and trust – that the grades we award are a true summary of your achievements.
Behind the scenes
So what happens at a grade boundaries meeting? Well, we work with principal assessors who are experienced teachers and lecturers to review the exams you have sat, and the questions you have answered. As we have returned to full course assessment this year, we also considered whether the return of coursework has had an impact on learners’ performance.
At the meeting, we consider if the questions were answered in the way we expected; were there any issues, and were all the questions fair? We also ask if any of the questions were more difficult than they should have been or too easy for the level being assessed.
Evidence based decisions
Once we have all the information and evidence we need and depending on how learners have performed, we consider whether there should be any changes to the grade boundaries.
If the evidence we have tells us that exams and coursework have been too challenging, we consider moving the boundaries down a small number of marks.
If the evidence suggests that an exam or coursework has been less challenging than planned, we may occasionally move the grade boundaries up a small number of marks.
The calibration of the grade boundaries helps to ensure that the national standard is consistent year after year.
All the decisions we make are based on a detailed review of the evidence in front of us following the marking process.
Getting the grades you deserve
At the end of each grade boundary meeting – and this year, there were 147 over the course of June and early July – learners can be certain that every grading decision has been thoroughly debated and considered.
Every learner will receive results on Tuesday 6 August that fairly recognises their work and achievements. They can be confident that their grades will give them the opportunity to take the next step in their education, training, or employment.
If you want more information about what to expect on SQA Results Day on Tuesday 6 June, visit our website, www.sqa.org.uk/results
