Exams upgraded in Scotland after outcry as rest of UK awaits results - BBC News

Around 75,000 students in Scotland have had their exam results upgraded after an outcry over the way they were awarded.

Scotland's education secretary John Swinney apologised for the confusion and the "feeling of unfairness”, saying it was "deeply regrettable" that the Scottish government had got it wrong.

With no exams this year because of coronavirus, teachers had to estimate pupils’ grades. But more than 124,000 of those estimates were downgraded after the exam board took into account every schools' past performance. That had led to pass rates for pupils in deprived areas being reduced by more than 15%, compared to around 7% in affluent areas. It led to a flood of appeals.

A week later the government in Scotland has been forced into a major U turn. All eyes are now on the rest of the UK as hundreds of thousands of students prepare to receive their A Level, BTEC and GCSE results. There are similar concerns about the system being used to calculate their grades.

Boris Johnson has said the Westminster government will “do its best to ensure the hard work of pupils is reflected”.

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by scotland correspondent Lorna Gordon, education editor Branwen Jeffreys and political correspondent Chris Mason.

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