School pupils have been told to expect to sit exams next year as education chiefs attempt to avoid a repeat of last month’s ‘grade robbing’ controversy. 

Exams were cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with teacher predictions being moderated by the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority), resulting in a methodology that disproportionately affected children from the area’s deprived backgrounds.

However, a week after exam results were released, Education Secretary John Swinney announced that grades would be reverted back to the original teacher predictions.

Now he has confirmed that the SQA plans to run a full exam diet in 2021.

Mr Swinney said: “SQA have consulted on what steps they could take to reduce the burden of assessments before the exam diet, what elements could be removed.

“We’ve also looked at the timetable of exams. Do they need to start in late April? Could they start at the end of May, giving them an extra month for learning and teaching?

“We’ve looked at those and the SQA is currently considering the response.”

However, West Scotland MSP Ross Greer has said next year’s exam diet should be cancelled, claiming it is too great a risk to assume tests will be able to take place nine months from now without disruption.

The EIS and SSTA teaching unions also suggested the 2021 exams should be scrapped and replaced with assessment through the year, to avoid the risk of school closures affecting final results.

Mr Greer, who is the Scottish Greens’ education spokesperson and represents Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire as part of his West Scotland remit, said: “After last month’s fiasco, we absolutely cannot have a situation where exams are cancelled at short notice again, without other arrangements having been put in place. There is simply no way to guarantee schools won’t be closed or exams cancelled.”