AN ALLOA pupil was left in tears after the SQA downgraded her results, despite her teachers predicting straight As.

Demilee Brand, S5 pupil at Alloa Academy, was in line to pass with flying colours – explained her father Stuart – but was left upset after her grades were pulled down during the SQA's national moderation process.

She is one of thousands of pupils who have received worse results than expected in the year that saw exams cancelled for the first time in history, due to coronavirus.

Her father Stuart said: “When I came home she was standing with her cousin, who is older than her, and her cousin was consoling her because she was upset.

“She was in tears, she was crying.”

Demilee ended up with three As, five Bs and a C, which Stuart said was “totally shocking”.

Stuart said teachers, who predicted straight As for the pupil at the academy, have been “very supportive” and are taking forward the appeals process, which is free this year.

He added: “They are the guys on the ground, they know better, they know the kids.”

Across Scotland, there have been claims many pupils saw their grades unfairly lowered because their school is in a less affluent area.

According to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, parts of Alloa South and East – where Demilee's schools is located – is in the five per cent of most deprived areas in the country.

Stuart, proudly hailing from the Bottom End, said: “No area is going to rise above its deprived status if you keep slapping down the talent.

“You'll never going to get rid of its tarred name if you automatically slap down the talent that's in the area.”

In today's competitive job market a single grade can make all the difference, added Stuart.

He told the Advertiser: “You might think it's only just one little letter on a piece of paper, but do you know what:

"That little letter on a bit of paper could muck up the rest of your life and that's what they [SQA] are forgetting.

“Obviously you can't give everyone straight As, but you could have done it in a better way where you didn't just look at the postcode.”

He added: “It's a farce, it's classist, it's just an utter shambles.

“Whoever thought up this system should be really ashamed of themselves.”

An SQA spokesman told the Advertiser: “We believe we have delivered fairness to learners, through a consistent, evidence-based approach in the absence of exams.

“We have maintained the integrity and credibility of our qualifications system, ensuring that standards are maintained over time, in the interests of learners, through judicious moderation of grades.”

He added that the “most disadvantaged young people” have, overall, achieved better results in 2020 compared to last year.

Those who feel they were unfairly downgraded should engage with teachers who can take the appeals process forward – something council leader Cllr Ellen Forson has encouraged people to do in a tweet last week.