Exam Help For Poor Rich Kids

Jan 13 2008 By Fiona Young

Posh Schools Benefit From Higher Appeals

A CONTROVERSIAL computer appeals system inflated thousands of exam results and favoured pupils from posh schools over poorer ones.

The scheme automatically upgraded Higher and Standard Grade appeals without any other checks.

But when the Scottish Qualification Authority manually checked 10,000 appeals last year for the first time in 15 years, a large proportion were rejected.

The success rate dropped by four per cent for Highers and 2.6 per cent for Standard Grades.

The main beneficiaries of boosted grades were private school pupils or students in large schools in richer suburbs as the computer system was only used for schools with large numbers of pupils sitting exams.

Known as derived grades, the system automatically gave a better grade for pupils who had underperformed if the majority of the school's other pupils achieved their predicted grades.

Five out of the 10 schools to benefit most were private, with posh George Watson's College in Edinburgh topping the list.

The derived grades process was scrapped last year.

SNP MSP Christina McKelvie, a member of Holyrood's education committee, said: "This change shows the SNP was right to demand the end of the derived grades system which was clearly seen to favour pupils in better-off areas or in private education."

But the SQA claimed it was too early to draw conclusions from the drop in successful appeals.

A spokesman said: "Work we have already published shows there are several factors that influence year-on-year changes in appeals success rates."

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