Today teenagers across Scotland have woken up or are awaiting their exam results, in the most unconventional way as they have not actually sat exams.

However, due to the SQAs approach to tackling this, they have actually created a class divide by basing results off of their schools past exam performance (not the this years students) and their post code. This means thousands of teenagers who may have excelled in their prelims or gotten steady grades all year have had their results deflated - purely because they live in a more deprived area or their school isn’t as privileged as others. This is incredibly classist and insulting.

Current 5th years and 6th years with conditional university offers were reliant on these results, which means they will have more stress and anxiety throughout the year due to their grades being deflated based on a system which doesn’t value them whatsoever. They should get a chance to prove themselves individually.

Results should be based off of personal performance and personal performance only. The SQA should have used prelims as they were done in exam conditions, tests done throughout the year, previous exam results and performance and teacher input. Teachers have known their students all year, so are the most qualified to predict results - not strangers in an office. Every child is different, so assuming just because they are from a deprived area they won’t do as well and children from privileged areas will excel is biased and unfair. It is completely unacceptable and wrong, especially when class should not be a basis for results which impact the rest of a child’s life.

This needs to be changed.