The SQA has announced a “sensitive approach” to exam grading, days before results are issued to thousands of young Scots across the country.

In an online meeting to provide background on the grading processes, Scottish Qualification Authority officials Gill Stewart and Martyn Ware delivered a presentation outlining the approach taken for 2023.

Attention was drawn to a ‘package of support’ for young people this year, including course modifications, an ‘exceptional circumstances’ consideration service, a free appeals service, and “a sensitive approach to grading.”

Described as an “extra layer of protection”, the approach apparently ensures that the impact of the pandemic, changes to courses, and the removal of revision support compared with last year, are all taken into account when setting final grades for this year.

Sign up to the Secret Teacher and read real views from within the classroom on the issues that matter most in Scottish education

The officials also stated that a wide range of data was reviewed in order to “ensure all factors had been fully considered” before decisions were made on final grade boundaries and pass marks. This data did not include information about individual students, schools or council areas, nor did it include deprivation data.

However, when pressed for further clarification of what the “sensitive approach” meant in practice, the officials stated that they were showing “sensitivity to the experience of learners”.

Specific details were not provided, with those in attendance advised that the impact would become clear on results day.

When approached by The Herald days before the Tuesday media briefing and new 'approach' was announced, an SQA spokesperson said: “At the heart of our approach to awarding this year is sensitivity to the continuing recovery from the effects of the pandemic.

"In fairness to learners and to maintain the integrity of our qualifications we have not set target outcomes for this sensitive approach. 

"We have focused on setting grades and maintaining standards based on the evidence of learners’ performance this year.

Read more from our education writer, James McEnaney

"Whilst it may be anticipated that outcomes for many courses will fall within the range bounded by the 2022 and 2019 outcomes, it is vital that we maintain standards whilst remaining responsive to the ongoing recovery from the pandemic amongst learners.” 

The key issue here is quite simple: what exactly does the SQA mean when it promises a “sensitive approach to grading”?

The phrase has been floating around for a while now.

Back in March, for example, it was then-education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville promising a “sensitive approach” which, we were told, would help support young people whose education was, and is, still being impacted by the pandemic.

In the recent media briefing, SQA officials were keen to highlight their “sensitive approach” – but far less keen on explaining what it actually meant.

In fact, despite being directly asked that question (more than once) they couldn’t really give an explanation.

Ultimately this is about deciding on ‘grade boundaries’ – the marks a student needs to get a passing A, B, or C grade. These are generally assumed to be 70%, 60% and 50% respectively, but they can be different from year to year and from subject to subject, having been adjusted up or down depending on what is required.

If data shows that the results are not within expectations (perhaps too many pupils got an A, or not enough failed) then the grade boundary can be altered to push things in whatever direction is necessary. That process happens every year.

This year, however, those discussions were apparently happening within a “sensitive approach”. But, again, what does that mean?

We know that data on individual students, schools or councils won’t be taken into account, but that’s not anything we didn’t already know. It does, however, rule out the use of any deprivation data during the process, meaning that an increase in the Highers attainment gap would not, for example, have been taken into account.

The SQA are clearly very keen to have everyone recognise this new “sensitive approach” and believe that this will help learners over the next few anxious days.

Unfortunately, the fact that they were unable or unwilling to provide much actual detail may end up having the opposite effect.