The Scottish Qualifications Authority anticipated a hostile public reaction to its 2020 grading approach after exams were cancelled due to Covid-19, a point discussed during the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry.

Robertson noted that learners could not demonstrate their abilities under normal exam conditions, and that most moderated results tended to be lower than estimates.

An operational document acknowledged that downgrades would provoke public uproar, though Robertson disputed framing it as her own wording and stressed expected contestation of outcomes.

Erin’s experience influenced her research focus on automated algorithms and their impact on lived experiences, emphasizing community involvement in decisions that affect people.

Although some grades were later adjusted, Erin argues the restored results did not fully reflect her performance and she seeks accountability and answers about whether deprived-area students were consulted before decisions were made.

Erin initially had A grades on prelims but received Bs, Cs and Ds in August 2020, which altered her plan to study veterinary medicine and led her to switch to human geography, eventually becoming a PhD student at the University of Glasgow.

The inquiry session with Fiona Robertson is ongoing, with discussions continuing under inquiry chairman Lord Brailsford.

Erin organized a protest in Glasgow’s George Square, highlighting perceived systematic inequality and noting that downgrades were inconsistently applied and not aligned with prelim results.

Erin Bleakley, a Scottish student, had her higher exam results downgraded in 2020 after the SQA’s emergency marking system and the later use of an algorithm that lowered 125,000 grades, disproportionately affecting pupils from deprived areas.

In 2020, the SQA downgraded 124,564 results, later overturned by John Swinney and replaced with teacher/lecturer estimates.

John Swinney reversed the downgrades, restoring results to teacher/lecturer estimates while serving as deputy first minister and education secretary.

The inquiry remains ongoing as it continues to examine the events and responses surrounding the 2020 exam situation.