1 April 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
Estimate Grades and Awarding 2022
The SQA Examination Diet will begin on Tuesday 26th April 2022. For all young people and schools across Scotland this will be the first time for SQA examinations to take place in schools since April 2019. The performance on the day of the examination, along with any coursework submitted to the SQA will form the results our young people will receive, from the SQA, on Tuesday 9th August 2022.
Estimate Grades
All schools are required to submit estimate grades to SQA before the start of the Examination Diet, for almost all subjects. This happens every year. In the last 2 years, estimate grades have also assisted the SQA to determine the grades awarded to our young people. This year estimate grades submitted to SQA will not guarantee certification at that level.
Estimate grades are based on demonstrated attainment that teachers have gathered in school. The estimate grades have been generated from planned assessments, prelims and class tests that reflect the demand, challenge, and breadth of the SQA exam. As the estimates can only be based on this evidence, depending on how your child performed in those assessments, the estimated grades may sometimes be lower than teachers actually expect them to achieve in the final exam.
Throughout this session, our young people have been engaging in learner conversations with their class and UPS teachers, Pupil Support teachers and school leadership teams. Furthermore, schools have issued tracking reports to keep parents/carers informed of progress. Estimate grades should not come as a surprise to pupils at this stage, as class teachers or faculty heads will have discussed with them the estimates and the evidence on which they are based.
SQA have published that all young people will be informed of their estimate grades in school before the beginning of the SQA Examination Diet, except in the tiny number of subjects with a later estimate submission date. Your child will receive a paper copy of their estimate grades on Friday, 22nd April and where we have a parental email, a copy will be sent to that address too.
Awarding 2022
Due to the challenges young people have faced over this year, SQA have introduced an Appeals Service. Through the 2022 appeals service, a young person who achieves a lower grade than their estimate can request an appeal. In the event of an appeal, the assessment evidence will be reviewed by SQA’s senior appointees, who will make the final decision based on their experience of applying the National Standards. Further information on this service can be found on the SQA website, Awarding 2022 – Exceptional circumstances/appeals – SQA
If you have any questions about this, or any other matter, please don’t hesitate to contact me through the school office.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Anthony Tuffery
Headteacher
