'Bigger baccalaureate to wait' as only 138 sit exam

EXPANSION of the new Scottish baccalaureate qualification should wait, critics warned, after just 138 pupils took the exam in its first year.

Despite an increase in the number of Advanced Highers taken by pupils last year to 20,580, from 19,645 in 2009, few were tempted by the new option.

Of the 138 candidates across Scotland, the overwhelming majority took the science version, with just 19 completing the languages baccalaureate.

A key deterrent has been the fact that universities still base entry offers on Highers. It is understood that no university in Scotland asked an applicant for a baccalaureate as a condition of entry.

A senior university source said: "We are broadly in favour of it, but universities are not quite sure yet how to rate it alongside Highers.

"It took a few years to figure out where Advanced Highers fitted in with entrance requirements, so it will take time to adjust."

The pass rate for the new qualifications was 76.8 per cent, similar to the Higher pass rate of 74.6 per cent and the Advanced Higher at 77.5 per cent.

Professor Eric Wilkinson, of Glasgow University's education faculty, said: "It is early days, but it is certainly worth exploring because it offers a challenge to our young people.

"The evidence is that young people do respond to being challenged these days.

We have to raise the bar generally and offer them something to strive for - the Scottish Baccalaureate could fulfil that."

The new qualifications, which are made up of a mixture of Highers and Advanced Highers, plus a project, were part of the SNP's 2007 election manifesto.

It was hoped baccalaureates in science and languages would help to boost uptake in areas crucial to the economy.

Future expansion to other subjects has been suggested, with social sciences mooted to be the next in line.

However, some educationists now say that, with such low uptake, the current versions need time to bed-in before new baccalaureates are created.

But business leaders praised the new qualification, for its emphasis on key subjects.

The recently published 2011 CBI Scotland manifesto describes language skills as "important in an increasingly globalised workplace" and said students should be encouraged in the area.

CBI Scotland say employers are worried about a lack of science and technology graduates and urged the government to use "all available levers" to encourage pupils to continue maths and science up to Higher education.

The body says: "The new science baccalaureate is a positive step, but will not address the problem on its own."

In April, it emerged that the majority of candidates came from private schools.

Carole Ford, a past president of the headteachers' union School Leaders Scotland, said at the time: "The low uptake of the new baccalaureate qualification is disappointing, but it is not surprising.

"Of more concern is the fact that this qualification is currently dominated by pupils from the independent sector."

She blamed over-stretched staff in the state sector.

Ucas, the university admissions body, has given the baccalaureate project points equivalent to half an Advanced Higher.

But many candidates still pulled out after learning that universities did not consider it.

By March, it was revealed that a third had pulled out, with 70 pupils - 60 from science and ten from languages - dropping out of the original 246 entries.

The SQA described the drop-out rate as "in line with what would be expected", but another 15 dropped out before exam day.

Liz Smith, the Conservative schools spokeswoman, said: "It's obviously a new exam and hasn't attracted a high number of people.

"Because it is not offered in all courses around the curriculum, there is still uncertainty as to what the baccalaureate is.

"So until we get that certainty about it, and about how it measures up against Highers and Advanced Highers for university entry, we won't get that demand."

Des McNulty, Labour education spokesman said: "Its pass rate is around the same as Highers, but the numbers entering so far has been very small.

I think that the current system of SBs for Languages and Science needs time to prove itself before any expansion to other subjects is considered."

A spokesman for the SQA described it as an "extremely challenging" qualification and said the majority of candidates had been outstanding.

He said: "Those who have risen to the challenge this year have done exceptionally well.

"The number of young people who entered the Scottish Baccalaureate this year was in line with our expectations - no new qualification attracts huge numbers at the outset - and we expect to see a modest rise in entries next year. "

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "This has been the first year of Scottish Baccalaureates, and we are confident that numbers will increase in coming years.

"It should also be noted that the uptake of sciences in Scottish schools has traditionally been greater than for modern languages, so we would expect entries to be higher for the Sciences Baccalaureate than for the Languages Baccalaureate."

'You explore the subject yourself, like university'

DANIELLE Clyde was one of just 119 people of 160,745 people opening exam envelopes this week who achieved a Scottish Baccalaureate in science.

However, with five 'A's at Higher, in band one, under her belt she already had an unconditional offer to study medicine at Edinburgh.

So why did she choose to do the baccalaureate?

She said: "You explore a subject yourself, so it's more like you would work at university."

Above four Advanced Highers in maths, chemistry, physics and biology (all A grades), she picked the subject of the use of spider silk in replacing human cartilage as her interdisciplinary project.

She interviewed a Nasa osteopathic surgeon while at space base in Houston, physiotherapists and other health professionals, as well as researching medical journals. Eventually, she presented her findings to an audience, filmed and sent to exam board SQA, who verified the internal mark given by her teachers.

The 17-year-old, who won dux at Tynecastle High in Edinburgh, says it wouldn't have been without her teachers.

Jamie Stewart, 17, also took the science baccalaureate and is heading to Glasgow University to study medicine, after surpassing the three B grades required in his Advanced Highers.

The university did not request he pass the baccalaureate.

He said: "I expected it would be well received by universities so I was hoping it would make me stand out. I was offered places, but I'm not sure it was because of the baccalaureate."

He attended Langside College in Glasgow with other pupils from East Renfrewshire to study for the interdisciplinary project.

He said: "When I first went there were 50 people there, but by the end it was only about 20."

Rachel Small, 17, from Edinburgh was in an even more exclusive group. The former Broughton High pupil was one of only 19 from across Scotland to achieve the languages baccalaureate.

Her project was on why children don't study languages more in Scotland.

She said: "Children here were just as motivated, but my research pointed to it being an issue with British society.

"It seems we just don't value speaking another language as much as other countries do."

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