Scotland's exam system is unfair, but powerful people do not want to fix it |
Exam results are to be released in a few days, marking the culmination of a year of work for thousands of students and their teachers and lecturers. The grades that are issued will, for good or ill, have a huge impact on the lives of those receiving them, while the national picture will dominate political discussion – at least for a few days.
But what if the system underpinning all of it is fundamentally unfair?
Scotland’s approach to end of year exams and certification is based on a central assumption: that a single, standardised, national test provides a level playing field for everyone, making the results robust and reliable.
On the face of it, this makes perfect sense: after all, if everyone sits the same exam, on the same day, at the same time, and under the same circumstances, then everyone is being given an equal chance to succeed.
For its supporters, the current system is much the same as a 100m race in which everyone begins from the same line and sets off in response to the same starting gun.
It’s a very positive, and useful, image. It’s also a lie.
If our exam system were indeed a 100m race, those cheering from the stands would see different competitors setting off from different points – some well ahead of the supposed starting line, and others several metres behind it. If they looked closely enough, they’d also notice that the runners towards the back were about to compete with weights around their ankles, and that the lanes they have been allocated are full of bumps, cracks and potholes.
Contrary to what so many people are so desperate to believe, our exam system does not ensure a level playing field, and in some respects does exactly the opposite.
The reality is that while all students do sit the same exam paper on the same day........