SQA & Practice Exams

All you need to know about your exams...

Senior Phase practice exam timetable January 2020

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SQA Exam Assembly

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Exam Transport

st_andrews_academy_-_2018-19_-_exam_transport_web_version.xls
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Support
Ms McMillan will be available in school from 10am on Tuesday 6th August.

Below is some information on options available to you if you did not get the grades you hoped for or require for a University place.
Exam Results- Tuesday 6th August 2019

SQA Candidate Advice Line
The Candidate Advice Line will run from Tuesday 6 until Friday 9 August 2019, providing general information to candidates and answering questions about the Scottish Qualifications Certificate. The Candidate Advice Line operators will not have access to candidates' results. Candidates enquiring about their results will be advised to contact their school or college.
The Candidate Advice Line will be open from 8am until 6pm on 6 August, and from 8.30am until 5pm on 7, 8 and 9 August.
Candidates can telephone 0345 279 1000 or complete a Candidate Enquiry Form on our website at www.sqa.org.uk/candidateenquiryform
Candidates should also seek general information from www.sqa.org.uk

Exam Results Helpline
Skills Development Scotland will run an Exam Results Helpline from 8am - 8pm on 6 and 7 August, and from 9am - 5pm on 8 - 9 August, offering candidates impartial careers advice and information. Candidates can telephone 0808 100 8000 or visit www.myworldofwork.co.uk/examresults

Post-result services (August 2019): policy and procedures

This policy reflects the guidance offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) in ‘Post-result Services – Guidance for Centres (March 2014)’.

Post-result services
As its name implies, this service runs after pupils have received their certificates. If the school is concerned by a pupil’s result, it can request:

a clerical check and/or
a marking review of the script

The ‘script’ is the name given to the pupil’s exam answer paper.

There is no consideration of ‘alternative evidence’ with this service. That means that the school cannot submit evidence of pupil performance to justify its concern and no such evidence will be considered by SQA in making a determination.

It is important to note that the check/review can lead to a change of grade either up or down.

If the grade changes then SQA will issue a new certificate to the pupil.

A. Clerical check
If the school submits a request for a clerical check of a pupil’s exam script, SQA checks that:

All parts of the script have been marked
The marks given for each answer on the script have been totalled correctly
The correct total/result was entered into the SQA’s system for that script (the system evaluates all the results received in the different parts of the course, in order to calculate the final grade)
Subjects that have been e-marked are not eligible for a clerical check, and almost all national 5 examinations are e-marked. When a subject is e-marked; the clerical check process is carried out automatically prior to the result being issued.

Where a subject has components that are both traditionally marked and e-marked, only the traditionally marked component will be eligible for a clerical check.

Subjects that are e-marked are, however, eligible for the marking review process.

B. Marking review
If the school submits a request for a marking review of a pupil’s exam script, this will include:

A clerical check (same as above)
A review by a Senior Examiner of the marks that the pupil was given for each question and/or externally assessed component of the course assessment, to check whether the original marking was in line with the national standard.

Criteria for post-result clerical check or marking review
The school will submit a request if it holds clear and compelling evidence that there is a reasonable possibility that an error may have occurred with the marking or totalling of marks in a pupil’s script.

That is, the pupil’s final grade is markedly at odds with the assessment evidence gathered during the school year and is out of line with the performance of other pupils in the school with similar profiles.

It is not sufficient for a pupil’s final award to be below the estimate submitted to SQA or that achieved during their prelim. The expectation is that there will be compelling evidence from ALL aspects of assessment: class tests, unit tests, coursework and any prelim exam. (An overview of assessment evidence is provided in the appendix.)

In particular, a clerical check and/or marking review will not be requested where:

The pupil’s final award is in line with the estimate previously submitted to SQA by the school
The final award is within the same grade as that predicted by the assessment evidence held by the school
The pupil’s performance has shown inconsistencies during the year such that the final award falls within the range of performance evidenced
The pupil’s original estimate is found to be overly optimistic in the light of the actual performance of the rest of the cohort who went through the course.

In general terms, the school will submit a request when the assessment evidence is consistent and points to an award at least one grade above the final award. The pupil must also give their consent for this to be submitted.

The school will submit requests only on the basis of assessment evidence. It cannot do so on compassionate grounds or, for example, because entry to higher education is conditional on a particular award. Neither can the school agree to submit a request because the pupil or parents have offered to pay any charges arising.

A request cannot be submitted if the pupil has already been through the Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service.

Decisions about eligibility for the post-result services will be taken by SMT based on advice by the principal teacher / faculty head.

Appeals
If a pupil is dissatisfied with the decision taken by the school then they can appeal. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the school at least seven working days prior to the end of the SQA submission window (9-30 August 2016). The appeal will be considered by the head teacher and the school’s SQA coordinator. Appeals will be considered on the basis of the criteria set out above and will be final.

Cohort review
If the school is concerned by the marking for a significant proportion of a class for one subject/level, it may request a marking review for a sample of the candidates’ exam scripts. This will be considered under the procedures set out by SQA in Post-result Services – Guidance for centres (March 2014).

Submission of post-result services requests
Only the school can submit a request to SQA. Parents and pupils cannot submit requests.

All requests must be submitted within the submission window publicised by SQA.

Further information about the SQA result services can be found at www.sqa.org.uk/resultsservices
If you have any questions or queries about post-result services please contact the appropriate DHT as soon as possible.

Appendix to post-result service: policy and procedures

Assessment evidence
We gather assessment evidence throughout the session to inform estimate grades. Four different types of assessment evidence are used: class tests, unit tests, coursework and prelims.

Class tests usually contain a range of question types, which sample key aspects of the course and which replicate the demands of external assessment in terms of integration, challenge and application. They are also undertaken under ‘controlled conditions’. Therefore, the collective outcomes of class tests undertaken across the session can be a very good source of evidence.

Unit tests are generally set at minimum competence level at a level below grade C and do not of themselves offer evidence that a pupil can cope with the course assessment. However, if they contain sufficient demands in terms of integration, challenge and application and the candidate performs well above the pass threshold, then they may provide useful additional evidence.

Coursework is undertaken in some subjects under exam conditions as a natural part of the programme. This too can be useful.

Prelims (internal exams)
The purpose of these exams are to:

Provide clear evidence that the pupil can cope with the demands of the external assessment instruments
Contribute to the determination of the estimate grade which the school will send to SQA in advance of the external examinations
Form part of the evidence in an ‘exceptional circumstances’ case if this becomes necessary

Performance in prelims is not the sole source of evidence for estimates and cannot be the sole source of evidence for exceptional circumstances case or a post-results services submission as parts of the course have not been covered at that point.

Skills Development Scotland

You can also contact Skills Development Scotland Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) Exams Results Helpline number is 0808 100 8000.
It will be open on exam results day and the next day from 8am to 8pm.
The opening hours on the remaining weekdays will be 9am to 5pm and 10am to 6pm at weekends.

At SDS, the first piece of advice is always not to panic – making the call to the helpline is the vital first move in finding out the available options.

Last year, SDS received thousands of calls from students and their parents looking for additional support after receiving exam results.

Exam results - your next steps

Whatever your grades, don’t forget to visit myworldofwork.co.uk/exam results for help in planning your next steps.

You’ll find information and advice to help you find your ideal career path, right now and in the future,
whatever your results. Look out for:
Didn't get the grades

Don’t panic, it's not the end of the world. If you didn't get the results you expected find out more
about your options
Straight to work

Ready to start your search, but not sure where to look? The job hunting guide takes you through the basics

Still undecided

So, what's it really like? Careers advisers, students and graduates share the info you won't find in your prospectus

Exam Results Helpline
To speak to a careers adviser after you receive your results, you can call the Exam Results Helpline free* on 0808 100 8000

SQA Publications

mysqa_2017_learner_information_leaflet.pdf
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sqa_your_exams_2017_polish.pdf
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sqa_your_exams_2017.pdf
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sqa_your_exams_2017_urdu.pdf
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sqa_your_exams_2017_punjabi.pdf
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sqa_your_exams_2017_traditional_chinese.pdf
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My SQA

.
Less waiting and less stress.
Sign up to MySQA to receive your results by text and e-mail from 8am on Tuesday 9 August 2016.

Registration is simple, all you need is your Scottish Candidate Number (SCN) and an e-mail address.
Register for MySQA

Register today and you could win an iPad Mini!If you’ve already registered to get your 2016 results by MySQA then you will already be entered for the competition.
Once registered, you can keep track of future awards, and view all your SQA qualifications from 1995 onwards.
Ask SamRemember, if you have a question about SQA qualifications you can Ask Sam through:
Twitter
Facebook
The Student Room
Questions about MySQA? Get in touch: mysqa@mysqa.org.uk

Revision

. SQA Revision

Exam timetable The 2019 exam timetable is available to access from the SQA Exam Timetable web page
Results day will be 6 August 2019.

Useful revision resources The following resources may be helpful to candidates preparing for exams.
Past papers Past papers are question papers that have been used for exams in previous years. They also come with marking instructions. You can access past papers by using our past paper service.
Specimen Question Papers Specimen Question Papers were produced during the design and development of the National Qualifications to show what the exams would look like. They include marking instructions and can also be used for revision purposes. Specimen Question Papers are available from the relevant subject pages where they can be downloaded from the 'Assessment support' section.
Exemplar Question Papers Exemplar Question Papers are made up of older past paper questions which have been updated for the current National Courses. They also include marking instructions. Exemplar Question Papers are available for Higher and Advanced Higher and can be downloaded from the 'Assessment support' section of the relevant subject pages.
Hodder Education model papers Hodder Education has produced a range of revision materials aimed at those studying for National Qualifications. This includes model question papers.
BBC Bitesize website The BBC Bitesize website includes revision materials and quizzes for the National Qualifications.

National 5: Revision in a Nutshell

http://www.npfs.org.uk/national-5-revision-in-a-nutshell/

These Revision in a Nutshell National 5 subject guides supplement learning and revision in class. They are organised alphabetically, by subject, covering 20 subjects which have exams and for which the SQA has provided relevant past paper questions. Please check with your teacher to ensure that the guides are relevant to you. The SQA Specimen Paper and the marking instructions are the most important documents to look at – the BBC Bitesize guides are also really helpful and provide different revision materials. See our Pointers for Parents and Pupils for more information. Feedback on these is very welcome. Good luck!
Our general guide to revision for parents and pupils, which contains links to key SQA and Education Scotland information, is Pointers for Parents and Pupils: pointersforparents
View the SQA National 5 Specimen Papers for every subject with an exam here http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/69284.html
BBC Bitesize revision resources are available in most National 5 subjects here http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/levels/z6gw2hv
PDFs for National 5 Revision subject guides:
Biology: nutshells_revision_N5_biology
Business Management: nutshells_revision_N5_businessmanagement
Chemistry:nutshells_revision_N5_chemistry
Classical Studies: nutshells_revision_N5_classicalstudies
Drama:nutshells_revision_N5_drama
Computing Science: nutshells_revision_N5_computingscience
Design & Manufacture:nutshells_revision_N5_design&manufacture
Engineering Science:nutshells_revision_N5_engineeringscience
English: nutshells_revision_N5_english
French: nutshells_revision_N5_french
Geography: nutshells_revision_N5_geography
German:nutshells_revision_N5_german
Graphic Communication: nutshells_revision_N5_graphiccommunication
Health & Food Technology: nutshells_revision_N5_health&foodtechnology
History: nutshells_revision_N5_history
Mathematics: nutshells_revision_N5_mathematics
Modern Studies: nutshells_revision_N5_modernstudies
Physics: nutshells_revision_N5_physics
Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies: nutshells_revision_N5_RMPS
Spanish: nutshells_revision_N5_spanish

National Parent Forum Scotland.

Use the following link to access helpful material for parents.
http://www.npfs.org.uk/nationals-in-a-nutshell/

nutshell_english_n4_e[1].pdf
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nutshell_english_n5_e[1].pdf
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nutshells_administrationit_n5_e[1].pdf
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What is Assessment?

SQA Assessment

Assessment
All National Courses are made up of Units (areas of study) that are taught throughout the year. For each Unit, learners complete a Unit assessment that is assessed as pass or fail. Further information on how each of the new qualifications are assessed is given below.
National 1, National 2 and National 3 National 1, National 2 and National 3 are assessed through Unit assessments only. The Unit assessments are marked internally by the teacher or lecturer and assessed as pass or fail, and learners need to pass all Units to achieve the qualification.
These qualifications are not graded, but are assessed as pass or fail.
National 4 National 4 Courses are assessed through Unit assessments, including an Added Value Unit assessment that assesses the Course as a whole. The Unit assessments, including the Added Value Unit assessment, are marked internally by the teacher or lecturer and assessed as pass or fail. To achieve a National 4 qualification, learners need to pass all Unit assessments in the Course, including the Added Value Unit assessment.
National 4 is not graded, but is assessed as pass or fail.
National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Courses are assessed through Unit assessments and a Course assessment. The Course assessment consists of a question paper (exam) or coursework (assignments, portfolios, practical activities etc), or both.
Unit assessments are marked internally by the teacher or lecturer and assessed as pass or fail. For the Course assessment, we will externally mark all question papers and the majority of coursework, however; in some subjects, coursework will be marked internally by the school or college as it is in the existing National Courses.
Courses at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher are graded A to D or ‘No Award’. To achieve the qualification, learners need to pass all Unit assessments plus the Course assessment.

Post Results Services

Exceptional Circumstances

This service supports candidates who have been unable to attend an externally assessed timetabled examination, or whose performance in an externally assessed timetabled examination may have been fundamentally affected as a result of an incident beyond their control.
This service is available for all examinations that appear in the examination timetable. If a school or college believes a candidate has been affected by exceptional circumstances, it will inform us and submit alternative evidence of attainment demonstrated by the candidate such as coursework, class assessments or mock tests.
It is only available before the results are published, and exists to support only those candidates who have suffered an exceptional circumstance, such as bereavement or a medical condition.
It is always recommended that a candidate sits the examination where possible. Sitting the examination does not exclude the candidate from having an exceptional circumstances request submitted on their behalf

Post Results
Post-results Services can be used where a school or college has concerns about a candidate’s certificated result. If they believe the final mark does not reflect expectations, they can request a priority marking review, clerical check or a marking review of the exam paper and other externally assessed components, such as a portfolio.
These services operate after candidates receive their exam results.
Schools and Colleges can request a clerical check or a marking review of the candidate materials that were submitted to us for marking. If the clerical check or marking review leads to a change of grade (either up or down), this will be amended on our computer system and a new certificate will be issued to the candidate.
There will be no consideration of ‘alternative evidence’ with this service. If the original grade remains unchanged following the check/review, the school or college will be charged for this service.
Clerical Check
If a school or college submits a request for a clerical check, we will check that all parts of the exam paper or other externally assessed component, such as a portfolio, have been marked, that the marks given for each answer have been added correctly, and that the correct total mark or result was entered into our computer system.
If a clerical check results in a change to a candidate's grade, we will issue a revised certificate to the candidate.
Schools and colleges will be charged a fee for using this service where there is no change to the original grade following the clerical check.
Marking Review
If a school or college submits a request for a marking review, an SQA senior examiner will ensure that:

all parts of a candidate's materials submitted to us – examination paper(s) and/or other externally assessed components – have been marked

the marking is in line with the national standard

the marks given for each answer have been totalled correctly, and

the correct result has been entered on our results software

Should a candidate have a conditional offer in further or higher education which is dependent on the outcome of the review, a school or college can request a priority marking review.
The candidate’s school or college will be informed of the result following the review. If a marking review results in a change to a candidate’s grade, we will issue a revised certificate to the candidate.
Schools and colleges will be charged a fee for using this service when there is no change to the original grade following the marking review
Can results go down
Yes. If a school or college requests a clerical check or marking review of a candidate’s examination paper(s) and/or other externally assessed components, this can result in the candidate's result going up or down. When a result is changed (either up or down), this will be amended on our computer system and a new certificate will be issued to the candidate.

Results Services
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I didn’t feel well on the day of the examination but didn’t tell anyone. I’ve now failed the exam and want my centre to use the Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service. Is this possible?
A. There are very clear guidelines on the timelines available to use the Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service. Requests must come to us from centres within 10 working days of the examination. Requests can only be made by the Head Teacher/Principal so it is really important you tell them immediately of any exceptional circumstances that may affect your exam performance.
Q. Why doesn’t SQA release component marks for the grades awarded to Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service candidates?
A. A condition of using the Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service is that centres accept no component marks will be provided. Candidates following the SQA set external assessment route will all undertake the same exam paper, allowing standardisation of national standards. Due to the wide and varied alternative evidence our Examiners consider for Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service candidates, such standardisation is not possible and therefore no component marks can be provided.
Q. Does SQA only review the marking of my exam paper as part of the marking review?
A. No, all externally assessed components of your Course are reviewed. For example, in Higher English we would review the marking of both question papers and the folio sent to us for assessment. 2

Q. Why can’t I ask SQA for a marking review?
A. Candidates can’t ask us to investigate results and must ask their school/college to do this. This is because the school/college has responsibility for entering candidates for examinations. It is up to the Head Teacher/Principal to decide, using their professional judgement and knowledge of the candidate, whether there appears to be an anomaly in the result that could suggest a marking error. Schools/colleges will not make requests to Post-results Services where they do not consider there is good reason to do so.
Q. I did really well in my prelim and class tests; why won’t SQA take this work into consideration and give me the grade I deserve?
A. If you were affected by an exceptional circumstance that prevented you sitting the timetabled exam, this is the evidence our Examiners would review to ensure an appropriate grade was awarded. However, for the vast majority of candidates the Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service is not appropriate. We do not consider any alternative evidence when awarding an exam grade to candidates. We will award a grade appropriate to the examination materials sent to us for assessment. It is up to candidates to be well prepared for the external exam and to demonstrate their level of knowledge and understanding.
Q. I got a grade B estimate from my school but achieved grade C in the exam. Can I insist my school makes a marking review request for me?
A. An estimate is the professional judgement of your teachers of what they expect you to achieve in the external exam based on your work across the academic year. It is not a guarantee you will achieve the grade and a discrepancy between your estimate and your result does not always indicate a marking or clerical error. Schools/colleges will only request a marking review when they believe, in their professional judgement, that a marking or clerical error may have been made by SQA. Most centres have criteria they will follow to determine whether or not to make a review request. Please check if your school/college has review criteria in place and obtain details direct from them.
Q. I’m only one mark short of grade A. Can’t SQA just find an extra mark for me?
A. During the marking review process our Senior Examiners are checking that the grade awarded to you is correct, that the marking is in line with the national standard. They are not trying to find extra marks. We know it’s really tough when you are so close to the grade boundary and getting a higher grade. SQA has numerous quality assurance processes in place to ensure the grades awarded are correct. Once all marking is complete we set the ‘grade boundaries’, that is, the number of marks required for an A, B, C and D grade. We then run a quality assurance process called ‘finalisation’ where we review most examination papers for candidates on the grade boundaries. 3

This involves our Senior Examiners confirming the marks awarded are correct before we issue results. There will always be candidates who fail to achieve a higher exam grade by a very small margin.
Q. SQA is only interested in reducing costs and making money out of candidates who fail exams. Is this true?
A. We genuinely want to ensure that the grade our Examiners award you is correct and rewards the level of work you put into your studies. Post-results Services enable schools and colleges to challenge us if they think we made a mistake. That is only fair. However, undertaking Post-results Services involves substantial operating costs such as holding review meetings and paying for the release of our Examiners from schools and colleges. These are additional costs not covered by the exam entry fees. If we have made a mistake we are truly sorry and, of course, no charge is payable, but if the grade awarded originally is correct then schools and colleges pay a fee to cover costs in operating the Post-results Services arrangements. We encourage schools and colleges who believe there is a marking anomaly to use the service.
Q. How can we trust SQA to mark every exam paper to the same standard? Surely markers can interpret answers differently?
A. We have a range of quality assurance processes in place to ensure standardisation and fairness in marking.
Q. I’m not prepared to accept the decision of the marking review. How do I appeal the decision?
A. The decision of the marking review is final and there is no appeal against the decision. Our Senior Examiners will have reviewed the externally assessed materials and confirmed the grade awarded as meeting national standards. If an error had been identified, it would have been amended. If you remain unhappy you can use the SQA’s formal complaints procedures but this will not change the grade awarded.
Q. When does SQA destroy examination materials?
A. All materials from the May and June exams are confidentially destroyed at the end of December.
Q. Why won’t SQA let me have my marked examination script?
A. We appreciate you would find it helpful to see the marked work submitted for external assessment. However, examination materials are exempt from the right of subject access, in line with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. The detail of the exemption for examination materials is set out in Section 37 of this Act, Miscellaneous Exemptions, which are further defined in Schedule 7. Paragraph 9 of Schedule 7 specifically defines examination materials. They are also exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of 4

Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Candidates therefore have no right of access to their examination materials and it is not SQA’s policy to issue such materials.
The Data Protection Act gives individuals the right to ask if SQA possesses any personal data about them by raising a subject access request. There is more information about this kind of request on the Access to Information section of our website at www.sqa.org.uk.
Where candidates or their representatives submit a request, then we provide the personal data we hold subject to applicable exemptions. During the period in which we hold examination materials this will include any additional breakdown of marks or markers’ comments available. This information is only available for some subjects and levels. Candidates can find that comparing any breakdown of marks with the Past Paper, Marking Instructions and External Assessment Report (all available on our website) helps them to better understand their exam performance. It can also be helpful to see the marks attained for each component of the external assessment (eg Paper 1), and the overall estimate submitted by their centre.

Candidate Advice Line

The SQA Candidate Advice Line will run from the morning of 6th August providing general information to candidates and answering any questions they have about the layout of their Scottish Qualifications Certificate. The Candidate Advice Line operators will have no access to candidates’ results. Candidates enquiring about their results will be advised to contact their school or college.

The Candidate Advice Line will be open from 8am until 6pm on 6th August and from 9am until 5pm on 7, 8 and 9 August.

Candidates can telephone 0345 279 1000 or e-mailresults@sqa.org.uk

Candidates should also seek general information fromwww.sqa.org.uk

Exam Results Hotline

6Skills Development Scotland will run an Exam Results Helpline from 7 - 9 August, offering candidates impartial careers advice and information.
Candidates can telephone 0808 100 8000 or visitwww.myworldofwork.co.uk/examresults