1. This is key. Subjects ARE different, in content & in the way students experience them. The current system attempts to 'flatten out' these differences so that we can - pretty spuriously - claim that Higher Physics or Geography is wholly comparable to Art or Music. #scotexam https://twitter.com/marcbarry/status/1297511910779293697

2. This usually entails gutting the pass mark of one of the subjects, so that we can say a 'pass' is just as hard in one as the other. https://twitter.com/ruthmillsdance/status/1290963349967167493

3. Art or Music are then derided as being 'easy' because lots score more than 70%, while you have to achieve 40% in other subjects to make the pass grade. The system simply says the worth of a subject lies in how many students it fails.

4. What this blunt tool fails to acknowledge is that the experience of subjects like Art or Music is totally different. Students studying Higher Music, for example, are 'immersed' in the subject in a way others aren't.

5. Music students, for example, will probably also take Associated Board instrumental exams. They'll rehearse with the school orchestra & play in concerts, or perform in the school show. They'll have their own bands & gig at the local youth club. They'll 'live' their subject.

6. I wonder how many students taking Sciences will be active experimenters in their own lives other than perhaps going to a school Science club. How many taking Geography will regularly go on field trips in their own time, or explore archaeology or geology for the fun of it?

7. This could be reflected in a certification system that acknowledges those differences in content, experience and engagement. It's why I'd favour a much more holistic insight into what a student can do, and I don't think that's unachievable. #scotexam