SQA examinations controversy (2000)

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In 2000, the new Higher Grade examination system in Scotland, failed disastrously.

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The Scottish Qualifications Authority announces 'teething problems' with the marking system, but promises that students will receive their results on time.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority publicly admits that pupils sitting Higher Grade examinations may not receive the correct results.

Thousands of students across Scotland receive incomplete or inaccurate exam results. Schools are left in disarray as 5% of all schools have not been sent any results at all, accurate or otherwise.

Ron Tuck, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, resigns, stating his regret and accepting responsibility for "this unfortunate episode". The Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition Scottish Executive ignores demands by the Scottish National Party for Sam Galbraith, the Education Minister, to resign.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority and Scottish Executive claim that the errors are due to the correct results being incorrectly collated, due to a serious fault in the new computer programme, not exams being marked wrongly in the first place.

Bill Morton is appointed as acting Chief Executive, to replace Ron Tuck, who resigned.

Students are assured that their marks will not go down. However this leaves a problem for UCAS, who has no way of knowing if students with high grades actually earned them or not. UCAS accepted the validity of all results.

UCAS admits in a statement that many of the students whose certificates contained errors could lose out on a university place that they would have received had the results been accurate and on time.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority claims that over 2,000 students with inaccurate certificates will receive the correct ones the next day, and the rest will be fixed 'in a matter of days.'

Now realising that the 21st August was not a realistic deadline, the Scottish Qualifications Authority vow to sort out the worst affected pupils' results by 20 September 2000.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority sorts out Higher Grade exam results.

Bill Morton orders an internal investigation at the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Over 4,000 Standard Grade students are discovered to have received incorrect certificates.

Jack McConnell, nicknamed Jack the Knife, becomes the new Education Minister. Sam Galbraith is removed to Environment Minister.

A leak[citation needed] reveals that the Scottish Qualifications Authority failed to sort out non-urgent Higher Grade exam results within the planned deadline — and the new Chief Executive was not told.

Jack McConnell appoints a new Scottish Qualifications Authority board. 16 of the 24 members have been replaced.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority begins sending out accurate exam certificates to students — three months after they were supposed to be delivered.

Media reports suggest that the exam results disaster cost the people of Scotland over £11 million.

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