Local MSP Jackie Baillie has called for strong action now to reassure pupils and parents that Higher Maths students will not lose out following claims that an exam paper was set at an ‘impossible level’.

Jackie Baillie made the call after a number of local parents got in touch with her to voice concerns over pupils being reduced to tears by the Higher Maths exam. Thousands of pupils across Scotland signed online petitions after the exam on Wednesday claiming that the questions were unfairly difficult compared to previous years.

Some pupils have also said that the exam paper included questions which were not even covered in the curriculum.

Teachers’ union EIS raised concerns about the decision to change the appeals process this year which means that pupils will not be able to challenge results based on their scores in the prelim exams.

Jackie said:

“Local pupils have been studying hard over the past few months and practising on exam papers used in previous years but even some of the brightest pupils did not feel properly prepared for this exam.  Across Scotland, pupils and their parents are now worried about whether this could affect career plans and applications for college or university.

“It is of course important to maintain high standards but it is completely unfair to set an exam which does not reflect the course material taught in the classroom, as seems to be the case this year. I will be asking the Scottish Government and the SQA to take action to ensure that pupils will not suffer a disadvantage compared to previous years and that these concerns are taken into account in the marking process