As exams begin in Scots schools, SQA says pupils delayed by ash crisis will not suffer

Published on Tuesday 27 April 2010 20:42

EXAMS begin today with 161,500 candidates in 533 schools and colleges throughout the country due to sit tests.

Candidates stranded by the volcanic ash cloud were promised they would not suffer adversely by the Scottish Qualifications Authority which runs the exams. A spokesman said contingency plans were in place for those affected.

Standard grade physical education and Intermediate 1 and 2 music will be the first exam to take place today, with the final exam due to take place on Friday 11 June.

Over the coming five weeks, 745,000 exams from Standard grade to Advanced Higher will be completed.

This year will see candidates participating for the first time in the new Scottish Baccalaureates, a qualification that combines existing Highers and Advanced Highers.

It also includes a unique interdisciplinary project which runs throughout the academic year. In total, 143 candidates will be first to take the baccalaureate, with 19 taking the language baccalaureate and 124 the science version.

Candidates who have signed up and activated their personal accounts for the Scottish Qualification Authority's MySQA service will be able to receive their exam results by text and e-mail a day earlier than when the traditional certificates arrive by post on Thursday 5 August.

The service is accessed via the www.mysqa.info website. In addition to electronic delivery, all candidates will continue to receive their results in the traditional way.

Additionally, students can now download a free "app" to build their own mobile phone personal exam timetable. It enables candidates to view their exam schedule at a glance, e-mail it to themselves or friends, and integrate it into their other calendars.

The app also provides information and resources to help students to prepare for exams, such as the SQA "Your Exams" guide.

Dr Janet Brown, chief executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, in her formal role as Scotland's chief examining officer, wished every candidate good luck.

She said: "Good qualifications are probably more important today than they have ever been. Our qualifications genuinely capture and reflect our candidates' skills and provide for them a pathway to the workplace or further study."

Each year, the SQA's in-house team of examination experts are joined by 15,000 appointees, who help to set, invigilate and mark nearly two million examination papers.