‘Firm intention’ for exam go-ahead

In response to a question from Shirley-Anne Summerville, Sturgeon says it is her “firm intention” that senior students at secondary schools will sit exams this year. Due to the pandemic, for the past two years, Highers and other formal qualifications have been unable to take place, with pupils instead given grades based on their teachers’ assessment of performance.

Given we’re still living through a global pandemic, contingencies are needed in education as in all other aspects of life right now. Our firm intention this year is that exams will go ahead…If education is further disrupted, because of developments in the pandemic, than additional support will be provided for those studying for exams. The second contingency is that if public health advice says it isn’t safe for young people to come together to sit exams in the traditional way, then we go back to a situation akin to the last two years where we would have teacher judgment coming to bear instead of exams.