Thousands of students receive blank email instead of results
Thousands of teenagers have received a blank email that should have contained their grades in a results day “shambles” in Scotland.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said it was “working urgently to resolve the issue”, which is affecting those who had signed up to receive their results by email.
Students opened the emailed, which read: “Dear Candidate, your 2024 results are:” followed by a blank space.
The email then continued: “If you have any questions about your results, please speak to your school, college or training provider.”
In a statement, the SQA said: “We know there is an issue impacting candidates who signed up to receive their results by email only. We are working urgently to resolve the issue.
“Texts are not impacted and the vast majority of learners who signed up to MySQA are receiving their results as expected.
“All learners across Scotland will also receive their physical certificate today via post”.
‘Gold standard’ shambles
Several teenagers said they had signed up to receive results by email as they were on holiday, meaning they could not receive letters.
The organisation was criticised for declining to include an apology in its statement.
Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Tory MSP, said: “What an embarrassing shambles. Does nothing in SNP Scotland work properly?”
Across Scotland, which has a different exams system to England, pass rates plummeted in what was pitched as a return to normality following pandemic disruption.
Handling of the pandemic led to huge grade inflation as exams were first scrapped and then course requirements eased.
At Higher, Scotland’s “gold standard” qualification, which is broadly comparable to an A-level, pass rates fell from 77.1 per cent last year, and 89.3 per cent in 2020, to 74.9 per cent.
At Advanced Higher, the proportion getting an A-C grade dropped from 79.8 per cent to 75.3 per cent, which was also 4.1 points down on the last pre-pandemic pass rate.
At National 5, broadly equivalent to a GCSE, it dropped to 77.2 per cent this year from 78.8 per cent last year, and 78.2 per cent in 2019.
Reacting to the results, Fiona Robertson, the SQA chief executive, said: “All learners can be confident that the qualifications they have earned - by demonstrating their knowledge, understanding and skills across full course assessment – provide a solid foundation for the next stage in their learning, training or employment.”
Liam Kerr, the Scottish Tory education spokesman and a candidate for the party leadership, said: “This chaotic and shambolic situation is the last thing pupils across Scotland needed on results day.
“Receiving a blank email will have only added to pupils’ worries about how they did in their exams.
“Successive SNP education secretaries have dithered and delayed on reforming the SQA for too long. Even then their plans amount to a sticking plaster rather than the widespread changes that Scottish education requires.
“Those in charge at the SQA must urgently be upfront as to why many students have failed to receive their results as they expected to and ensure these errors are rectified as soon as possible for all those affected.”