School children are hosting a peaceful protest in Glasgow tomorrow in response to the Scottish Qualification Authority’s (SQA) results.
It comes after it emerged the pass rate for pupils in the most deprived areas was reduced by 15.2 per cent from teacher estimates after the exam board's moderation.
The event, which has over 200 people attending, says: “My postcode does not determine my grade. Petitions won’t help. Protesting will.”
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Here’s what you need to know:
Why are they protesting?
Thousands of students had their results downgraded due to their school’s poor historical performance.
124,564 students saw their results lowered by the SQA after their teachers' recommendations were dismissed.
With exams being cancelled due to Covid-19, the governing body had to devise an alternate method of awarding grades based on prelims and coursework assessment.
This was based on awarding grades based on prelims, coursework assessment and the historical performance of the school.
However, this has meant that many students who were predicted A’s have been left with F’s due to their school’s previous academic performances.
Where are the protesting?
Hundreds of students are expected to gather in George Square at 8:30am and will go on until 12:30pm.
What are the protesters saying?
Erin Bleakley, who organised the protest, has said that she hopes it will highlight how disappointed students are who live in areas of high deprivation were disproportionately impacted by marks being downgraded.
The 17-year-old said: "We deserve the same life chances as young people in affluent areas. How can anyone expect to close the attainment gap when your hard work can be wiped out based on your postcode?
"There needs to be recognition that living somewhere that is termed an area of deprivation should not be something that prevents young people from progressing to further or higher education."
What has Nicola Sturgeon said about it?
The First Minister has shown support to the students and said that if she were a student she would’ve ‘very possibly’ joined in too.
She added: "I totally understand and sympathise and empathise with any young person who is in a position of having a grade awarded by the SQA that is lower than the teacher estimate."
Nicola Sturgeon said the students' disappointment was "compounded this year because young people haven't got that objective exam to benchmark against".
Ms Sturgeon added: "If you're a young person whose teacher has estimated one grade and you've got a lower grade, you are going to feel very aggrieved about that.
"I absolutely understand that. If I had been in that position, I would feel aggrieved about that."
She added:"I know how really horrible this will be for young people that are in this position.
"If I was standing here and saying, 'Well, tough, that's it, just accept it,' then that anger would, quite rightly, be even greater.
"But I'm not saying that. There is another part of this process."
She stressed young people can appeal and have their individual circumstances looked at.
She said: "If you have been treated unfairly, that will be rectified through this process."
What has the SQA said about the results?
An SQA spokesman said: "This year's results will be cause for celebration for many people but disappointment for others. While this is a strong set of results overall - up on 2019 - this year is no different.
"We would advise young people who feel they haven't got the grades they hoped for to speak to their school or college first.
"Our appeals process this year will be based solely on the evidence presented by the school or college, for that individual candidate, on a case-by-case basis."
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