SQA exams fiasco
Encyclopedia
The introduction in Scotland of the reformed examinations system in 2000 was criticised in the press and by the government after a series of administrative and computer errors led to several thousand incorrect Higher
and Intermediate certificates being sent out. The crisis took several months to resolve, and several management figures including the Chief Executive, Ron Tuck, resigned or were fired.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority
announces 'teething problems' with the marking system, but promises that students will receive their results on time.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority publicly admits that pupils sitting Higher Grade examinations may not receive the correct results.
Thousands of students across Scotland
receive incomplete or inaccurate exam results. Schools are left in disarray as 5% of all schools have not been sent any results at all, accurate or otherwise.
Ron Tuck, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, resigns, stating his regret and accepting responsibility for "this unfortunate episode". The Labour
/Liberal Democrat
coalition Scottish Executive
ignores demands by the Scottish National Party
for Sam Galbraith
, the Education Minister, to resign.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority and Scottish Executive
claim that the errors are due to the correct results being incorrectly collated, due to a serious fault in the new computer programme, not exams being marked wrongly in the first place.
Bill Morton
is appointed as acting Chief Executive, to replace Ron Tuck, who resigned.
Students are assured that their marks will not go down. However this leaves a problem for UCAS
, who has no way of knowing if students with high grades actually earned them or not. UCAS accepted the validity of all results.
UCAS
admits in a statement that many of the students whose certificates contained errors could lose out on a university place that they would have received had the results been accurate and on time.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority claims that over 2,000 students with inaccurate certificates will receive the correct ones the next day, and the rest will be fixed 'in a matter of days.'
Now realising that the 21st August was not a realistic deadline, the Scottish Qualifications Authority vow to sort out the worst affected pupils' results by 20 September 2000.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority sorts out Higher Grade exam results.
Bill Morton orders an internal investigation at the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
Over 4,000 Standard Grade
students are discovered to have received incorrect certificates.
Jack McConnell
, nicknamed Jack the Knife, becomes the new Education Minister. Sam Galbraith is removed to Environment Minister.
A leak reveals that the Scottish Qualifications Authority failed to sort out non-urgent Higher Grade exam results within the planned deadline — and the new Chief Executive was not told.
Jack McConnell appoints a new Scottish Qualifications Authority board. 16 of the 24 members have been replaced.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority begins sending out accurate exam certificates to students — three months after they were supposed to be delivered.
Media reports suggest that the exam results fiasco cost the people of Scotland over £11 million.
It emerged that an 18-year-old student has decided to sue the Scottish Qualifications Authority for compensation after she spent her time retaking a subject she had passed in, but wasn't notified until nine months later.
Higher (Scottish)
In Scotland the Higher is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It superseded the old Higher Grade on the Scottish Certificate of Education...
and Intermediate certificates being sent out. The crisis took several months to resolve, and several management figures including the Chief Executive, Ron Tuck, resigned or were fired.
Timeline
- 26 June 2000
The Scottish Qualifications Authority
Scottish Qualifications Authority
The Scottish Qualifications Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for accreditation and awarding. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, employing 750 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith...
announces 'teething problems' with the marking system, but promises that students will receive their results on time.
- 9 August 2000
The Scottish Qualifications Authority publicly admits that pupils sitting Higher Grade examinations may not receive the correct results.
- 10 August 2000
Thousands of students across Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
receive incomplete or inaccurate exam results. Schools are left in disarray as 5% of all schools have not been sent any results at all, accurate or otherwise.
- 12 August 2000
Ron Tuck, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, resigns, stating his regret and accepting responsibility for "this unfortunate episode". The Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
/Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
coalition Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
ignores demands by the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
for Sam Galbraith
Sam Galbraith
Samuel Laird "Sam" Galbraith is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He is a former Member of Parliament and a former Member of the Scottish Parliament....
, the Education Minister, to resign.
- 13 August 2000
The Scottish Qualifications Authority and Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
claim that the errors are due to the correct results being incorrectly collated, due to a serious fault in the new computer programme, not exams being marked wrongly in the first place.
- 14 August 2000
Bill Morton
Bill Morton
Bill Morton was Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority. He succeeded Ron Tuck, who resigned due to the SQA exams controversy in 2000....
is appointed as acting Chief Executive, to replace Ron Tuck, who resigned.
- 15 August 2000
Students are assured that their marks will not go down. However this leaves a problem for UCAS
UCAS
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is the British admission service for students applying to university and college. UCAS is primarily funded by students who pay a fee when they apply and a capitation fee from universities for each student they accept..-Location:UCAS is based near...
, who has no way of knowing if students with high grades actually earned them or not. UCAS accepted the validity of all results.
- 18 August 2000
UCAS
UCAS
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is the British admission service for students applying to university and college. UCAS is primarily funded by students who pay a fee when they apply and a capitation fee from universities for each student they accept..-Location:UCAS is based near...
admits in a statement that many of the students whose certificates contained errors could lose out on a university place that they would have received had the results been accurate and on time.
- 20 August 2000
The Scottish Qualifications Authority claims that over 2,000 students with inaccurate certificates will receive the correct ones the next day, and the rest will be fixed 'in a matter of days.'
- 22 August 2000
Now realising that the 21st August was not a realistic deadline, the Scottish Qualifications Authority vow to sort out the worst affected pupils' results by 20 September 2000.
- 27 August 2000
The Scottish Qualifications Authority sorts out Higher Grade exam results.
- 28 August 2000
Bill Morton orders an internal investigation at the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
- 29 August 2000
Over 4,000 Standard Grade
Standard Grade
Standard Grades are Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years, which are due to be fully replaced in 2014 when Scottish Qualifications Authority's Higher Still system becomes the main qualifications as part of the major shake up of Scotland's education system as...
students are discovered to have received incorrect certificates.
- 29 October 2000
Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
, nicknamed Jack the Knife, becomes the new Education Minister. Sam Galbraith is removed to Environment Minister.
- 31 October 2000
A leak reveals that the Scottish Qualifications Authority failed to sort out non-urgent Higher Grade exam results within the planned deadline — and the new Chief Executive was not told.
- 9 November 2000
Jack McConnell appoints a new Scottish Qualifications Authority board. 16 of the 24 members have been replaced.
- 25 November 2000
The Scottish Qualifications Authority begins sending out accurate exam certificates to students — three months after they were supposed to be delivered.
- 10 August 2001
Media reports suggest that the exam results fiasco cost the people of Scotland over £11 million.
- 10 January 2002
It emerged that an 18-year-old student has decided to sue the Scottish Qualifications Authority for compensation after she spent her time retaking a subject she had passed in, but wasn't notified until nine months later.
External links
- The full report to the Scottish ParliamentScottish ParliamentThe Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
of the difficulties experienced in 2000.