The Scottish Government has failed to significantly reduce the rates of exam dual presentation in schools, according to information released under transparency laws.

A new Freedom of Information (FOI) release by the country’s exams watchdog confirms that there were a total of 30,284 recorded dual-presentation of pupils for both National 4 and National 5 in the most recent school year. This represents a reduction of just 3% compared to last year, and many schools in fact reported significant increases.

The persistent levels of dual presentation have been revealed despite education secretary Jenny Gilruth writing to all Directors of Education in January to warn against the move, which she warned could lead to negative experiences for young people as well as “unnecessary additional workload and over assessment.” Dual-entry as a standard practice was supposed to have been ended in 2018 but in many cases rates have increased since then.

The latest data reveals that more than 100 schools submitted more than 100 dual presentations each for the 2023/24 school year. The highest number of dual presentations was 614, with a total of five schools recorded as submitting more than 500 last year.

The rates also increased by more than 100 percent at more than 40 schools, and one institution went from just one dual presentation in 2023 to 162 in 2024.

Speaking anonymously to The Herald, some teachers have argued that the use of dual-presentation is at least in part a response to the lack of a traditional exam appeals system. In the past, students who failed a course could have alternative work considered in the hope of having their exam grade increased, but this option is no longer available.

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Professor Louise Hayward, who led the Scottish Government’s review of qualifications, previously told The Herald that a recent OECD report had found that “Scotland's learners are already amongst the most examined in the world.”

She continued: “Yet, it is easy to understand why teachers would present learners for both N4 and N5 in a subject. Teachers want the best for all their learners, and this acts as a safety net.

“However, for some individuals, probably those who are already finding N5 most challenging, dual presentation may be happening across several subjects putting immense pressure on both them and their teachers.”

A representative of Scotland’s largest teaching union also argued that dual-presentation is an “unsurprising” phenomenon given the “high stakes nature of the qualifications system” and the pressure being put on schools to improve data around pupil attainment levels.

Their spokesperson said:

“Several major reports -including the OECD and the Hayward Reviews - have criticised the obsession with N5 attainment data in Scotland’s senior phase, but the rise in dual presentations is further evidence of the pressure schools continue to be placed under to boost their statistics, regardless of the impact on learners, and of the urgent need to ensure that all qualifications, including N4 and vocational qualifications, are valued equally.

“The evidence suggests that, contrary to official guidance,  schools continue to dual present whole groups of learners for National 4 and National 5, in the hope that more learners attain N5, with N4 as a parachute.  Given the high-stakes nature of the qualifications system, it is it is unsurprising that many schools take such precautionary approaches to presentations.

“Regardless of the reasons, however,  this creates an enormous amount of additional work for teachers who have to ensure learners in their classes complete work for two courses, but it also places additional burdens on learners - particularly those who struggle to attain N5. For many such learners, the joy of learning is replaced by memorization and rote learning to get over the line, and a rush to ensure all the appropriate assessments are done.   

They added that the current situation “requires the Scottish Government to end the delays and to progress the reform of the qualifications system in line with the Hayward report.”

An SQA spokesperson said:

“The Cabinet Secretary wrote to Directors of Education in January to stress the importance of learners being presented for the qualification levels that are most appropriate for them. The Chief Examiner and Chief Inspector will shortly be joining the Cabinet Secretary and Directors of Education to discuss issues arising from this year's results data, including dual entry.

“Our appeals process is entirely separate from the issue of dual entry. It is in line with appeals systems used by awarding bodies around the world and is based on a marking review, carried out by teachers, of the assessments learners have undertaken.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said:

“All of our young people deserve to experience a rich and meaningful learning and teaching experience tailored according to their needs, part of which is making sure that they are presented at the correct level for national assessments.

“The Cabinet Secretary is meeting all Directors of Education to discuss the 2024 results. How best national and local government can support well-informed, school-level presentation decisions will form part of that discussion.”