Teaching unions have cited similar concerns in other subject areas since the government agreed to scrap classroom internal assessments because of the extra administrative workload they brought.
Iain Aitken, principal teacher of geography at Belmont Academy in Ayr, mentioned several misgivings about the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), including a delay to the expected delivery of the relevant sample papers.
Staff would start teaching Higher geography in June but the papers may not have all arrived until September, Mr Aitken said. “How can I deliver a quality experience for learners when essential information is not published until one quarter of the way through the course?”
He has also told the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee of his concerns. The SQA has said that the removal of the assessments meant more questions had to be added to the final exam, within a tight timescale.
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, said school staff from various subjects had voiced similar worries.
He said: “Issues such as essential subject information not being published prior to the commencement of courses, late notification of changes and the severe impact on workload are continuing to increase levels of anxiety and stress.”
Seamus Searson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA), said the removal of units did not justify “wholesale changes”. He added: “Planning is essential for quality provision and it is essential full details of the course and specimen papers are available before courses begin in June.”
However, an SQA spokesman said: “The removal of units means we need to strengthen (external) assessments to protect the integrity, credibility, breadth and standards of courses.”
Where written exams were being made longer, this had been considered according to the specific assessment needs of each subject, he said. For the vast majority of Highers, including geography, exams would remain one part of a mix of assessment, including coursework.
“For all subjects we have published a document summarising what changes we are making to assessment.” Higher specification documents will be published by the end of April and updated support materials, including a specimen exam and coursework, will be published between May and September, he added.