Summary

  • Education Secretary John Swinney says that all results that were downgraded this year "will be withdrawn"

  • However, candidates whose grades were bumped above teacher estimates will not have them downgraded

  • Following the changes, the 2020 Nat 5 pass rate stands at 88.9% (+10.7); the Higher pass rate is 89.2% (+14.4) and the Advanced Higher pass rate sits at 93.1% (+13.7)

  • Nicola Sturgeon says she would not expect Celtic or Aberdeen to play their next scheduled games because of coronavirus rule breaches

  • It comes after Boli Bolingoli admitted he played in Sunday's match against Kilmarnock despite having recently returned from Spain without quarantining

  • Pupils in Shetland and the Scottish Borders return to school for the first time since March

  • The number of positive cases rose by 52 in the last 24 hours with 27 in the Grampian area and 13 in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area

  • In total, 165 positive cases are associated with the Aberdeen pubs cluster, but the rate of increases appears to be slowing

  • The trend of no new deaths from positive virus results continues

  1. Here's today's headlines....published at 17:59 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    That's all from us here on the live page on a historic and busy day here in Scotland. Here's the headlines:

    • Tens of thousands of school pupils are to have their exam results upgraded after the Scottish government agreed to accept teacher estimates of scores.
    • The government u-turn follows an outcry from pupils after a moderation system saw 125,000 estimated results being downgraded
    • The move affects about 75,000 pupils across Scotland.
    • All results that were downgraded will now be withdrawn and replaced by the original estimates.
    Media caption,

    Scottish pupils have results upgraded in U-turn over SQA exams

    • Scotland's pupils have returned to classes for the first time since lockdown began nearly five months ago
    • Meanwhile Nicola Sturgeon issued a "yellow card" warning to Scottish football asCeltic and Aberdeen matches were called offafter their players broke lockdown rules
    • The number of people in work in Scotland fell by 15,000 between April and June as the impact of lockdown hit
    • The lockdown restrictions currently in place in Aberdeen will be reviewed tomorrow
    Pupils returned to Kelso High School this morningImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Pupils returned to Kelso High School this morning

  2. MSPs to quiz SQA tomorrowpublished at 17:56 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    MSPs will tomorrow quiz the SQA about John Swinney's decision that downgraded results will be scrapped and instead will be based on initial teacher judgement.

    Holyrood's education committee will take evidence from:

    • SQA chief executive Fiona Robertson
    • SQA director of qualifications Dr Gill Stewart
    SQA chief executive Fiona RobertsonImage source, Scottish Parliament
    Image caption,

    SQA chief executive Fiona Robertson will face tough questions tomorrow from MSPs

    Join us here on the live page for extensive coverage of the evidence session from 10am tomorrow morning.

  3. 'I'm over the moon and so are my pals'published at 17:55 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Luke RobertsonImage source, Alex Robertson

    Luke Robertson, 16, from Motherwell said he welcomed the news that his grades would be withdrawn and reissued based on his teacher's original estimates, which were mostly As.

    Like many pupils across Scotland, Luke said he was "disappointed and shocked" by the surprise grades he received last week but is now relieved by today's decision. He said a weight had been taken off his shoulders.

    "I'm over the moon," he said. "My pals are all really happy too. I can look at the courses I want to do now.

    "It gives me more options and it means this year there is not as much pressure.

    "I'm just so happy with the changes," Luke said.

  4. Coronavirus: Evening updatepublished at 17:53 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this Tuesday evening.

    Read More
  5. 'Just too much hardship out there' - Swinneypublished at 17:50 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Drivetime with John Beattie
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Education Secretary John Swinney says he originally asked the SQA to deliver an outcome that was broadly in line with previous years' exam results.

    He says at a global sense this seemed fair but not at the level of the individual.

    "As the days have gone by I have heard more and more cases where young people have had great track records and they have not done well in the process of awards that have come out.

    "We judge there was just too much hardship out there."

  6. Vote of no confidence in Swinney on Thursdaypublished at 17:46 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

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  7. 'Teachers did not overegg the estimates'published at 17:44 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Drivetime with John Beattie
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Larry Flanagan

    Larry Flanagan from the EIS, Scotland's biggest teaching unit said it was definitely not the case that the teachers' estimates were inflated.

    "That's not the case.

    "The teachers were well aware these estimates would be critical in the process - they went the extra mile and ranked the students which they don't usually do and then subdivided each of those bands into further bands.

    "Teachers were very conscientious in these estimates, most of it based on estimates, prelim results and marked assessments. The difference between a grade C and a D can be 1% so there is room for error but the idea teachers overegged the estimates is just fundamentally flawed."

  8. 'Potentially linked gathering cases' investigatedpublished at 17:43 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

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  9. How many extra school leavers will go to university this year?published at 17:41 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Drivetime with John Beattie
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Education Secretary John Swinney is asked how many more students will go to university as a consequence of the inflation in grades today.

    Mr Swinney says he does not yet know but it is estimated to be between 3,000 and 3,500.

    John Beattie asks the education secretary whether employers and universities will find this year's results believable?

    Mr Swinney says Universities Scotland would do everything they could to support young people who have gained access to university as a result of what has happened today.

    "My colleagues are actively engaged with employers around the country talking about the results and the significance of those results," he says.

  10. 'Anger and danger' forced Scottish government u-turnpublished at 17:35 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Drivetime with John Beattie
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Erin Bleakley organised and led the Glasgow protest after she received lower grades than expectedImage source, PA Media

    Joel Meekison, from the SQA Where's Our Say campaign, welcomed the Scottish government's u-turn.

    He was asked on BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime if the results were now "unbelievable".

    Mr Meekison replied: "I accept that we are in an unprecedented year and, as a result, we need unprecedented actions."

    Aberdeen pupil Nadha now expects her grades to be increased from two Cs and a D to two Bs and a C.

    And she believes it is a fairer reflection of what she might have achieved in her final exams.

    She added: "I'm really happy with the fact we are now given the teacher's predicted grades."

    Quote Message

    I don't think that it was problems over what people achieved that made John Swinney stand up in today's remarkable statement and change it. I think it was anger and danger over the exam system being perceived as penalising marginalised groups and penalising the most vulnerable and deprived areas.

    Joel Meekison, SQA Where's Our Say campaign

  11. WATCH: Greer asks when Swinney became aware of issuespublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

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  12. Is it the most unbelievable set of results ever?published at 17:28 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Drivetime with John Beattie
    BBC Radio Scotland

    John Beattie puts it to the education secretary that he has now sanctioned the most unbelievable set of grades ever.

    Mr Swinney says: "I think it sets out an extraordinary year and this is an extraordinary year.

    "That is fundamentally the point that I tried to get over to parliament today."

  13. Is this a political decision?published at 17:24 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Drivetime with John Beattie
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Education Secretary John Swinney is asked if it was a political decision to u-turn on exam grades after he saw the anger among potential voters.

    "No I want young people not to experience the anguish that I have heard from them face to face," he says.

    "I can't give them a justifiable reason why young people who have got a good track record have not done well in their assessment."

  14. Does John Swinney believe what he said today?published at 17:22 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Drivetime with John Beattie
    BBC Radio Scotland

    The education secretary visited a school in Rutherglen on results dayImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The education secretary visited a school in Rutherglen on results day

    John Beattie asks the education secretary if he actually believes what he told parliament today.

    The presenter says that last week John Swinney said it would have been totally unbelievable to take the initial teacher estimates without moderation. Yet that it was he has now done, raising the pass rate significantly.

    Mr Swinney says: "We recognised there was a level of hurt and anguish within young people and their families in Scotland and I'm sorry that was caused as a consequence of the results."

    He says they thought long and hard about the situation they found themselves in.

  15. 'My arms were in the air'published at 17:18 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Drivetime with John Beattie
    BBC Radio Scotland

    One teacher from Monifieth High School in Angus has told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme how she reacted to the announcement that downgraded grades would be withdrawn and reissued based solely on teacher judgement.

    Kathryn Neill, who teaches Art and Photography, said she threw her arms into the air when she heard the news. She said she was "so tearful and so happy" when the decision was revealed because of all her students' hard work.

    Quote Message

    It means the world to us. It means the world to them. We know how hard they've worked. We know the grade they deserve. We've done our job, we've got them their grades and that's what they deserve.

    Kathryn Neill

    Art teacher
  16. WATCH: Rennie says Swinney 'part of the problem'published at 17:10 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

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  17. 'Today's decision will cause future problems'published at 17:05 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Drivetime with John Beattie
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Lindsay Paterson, professor of educational policy at Edinburgh University, said the decision to dish out grades based solely on teacher's judgement alone would cause educational problems in the future.

    Speaking on BBC Scotland's Drivetime programme, he said: "You don't solve one problem of this kind by making a sweeping decision of the kind that was announced this afternoon".

    The professor said that teacher predictions were not impeccable and called the decision "political interference".

    He also said that the SQA were "culpable," having not published their methodology for calculating grades until results day. Professor Paterson said the system had therefore escaped scrutiny.

  18. Coming up on Drivetime...the education secretarypublished at 17:00 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Education Secretary John SwinneyImage source, REUTERS
    Image caption,

    Education Secretary John Swinney is on Drivetime after the news at 5pm

    Education Secretary John Swinney will be on Drivetime after the news, following his announcement tens of thousands of school pupils are to have their exam results upgraded.

    The Scottish government has agreed to accept teacher estimates of scores.

    The u-turn came after an outcry from pupils after a moderation system saw 125,000 estimated results being downgraded.

    All results that were downgraded will now be withdrawn and replaced by the original estimates.

    The move affects about 75,000 pupils across Scotland.

  19. 'This was as much about politics as it was about education'published at 16:56 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Jamie McIvor
    BBC Scotland education correspondent

    Exams genericImage source, PA Media

    The significance of the Scottish government’s decision cannot be overestimated.

    By simply accepting all teacher estimates, pass rates for National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers are now dramatically higher than normal. This year’s Higher pass rate of 89.2% is 14.4 percentage points up on last year.

    The risk of this is that the pass rates this year are so much higher than normal that they would seem to some to be simply implausible.

    One important aim of the validation process was to try to ensure that qualifications obtained this year would stand the test of time and stand up to proper scrutiny.

    Against this, there is the argument that this year is so difficult and exceptional for young people and the education system that allowances have to be made.

    But ultimately this was as much about politics as it was about education.

    The SNP sees itself as a progressive centre-left party committed to improving the attainment of young people from disadvantaged areas.

    These are the young people for whom education is about a route out of poverty towards a better life – not simply a way of fulfilling ambitions or finding a dream job.

    For the party to appear to be defending a system which had disproportionately marked down those youngsters, risked alienating many of their natural supporters.

  20. Cluster of five linked cases investigated in Anguspublished at 16:51 British Summer Time 11 August 2020

    Covid signImage source, Getty Images

    A cluster of five coronavirus cases in north-east Angus is being investigated, according to NHS Tayside.

    Dr David Chandler, the health board's associate director of public health, said the positive cases were connected and one had a direct link to the Aberdeen outbreak.

    All of those affected have mild symptoms and none has required medical care, he added.

    A further 54 people have been identified as contacts and they have been given advice on self-isolating and offered testing where appropriate.

    "There is currently no evidence of wider community spread in Angus or elsewhere in Tayside," Dr Chandler said.

    "No individual premises, businesses or establishments are currently linked to the ongoing investigation."