Question reference: S5W-33030
- Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 4 November 2020
-
Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 5 November 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the exam diet timetable for Higher and Advanced Higher courses in 2021.
Answer
I set out to Parliament on 7 October that due to unavoidable circumstances all National 5 exams in 2021 would be cancelled, and that a delayed Higher and Advanced Higher exam diet commencing on 13 May would go ahead.
The SQA has been developing the detail of the exams timetable for 2021 and has assessed that there is a significant risk that a large number of candidates would face sitting two Higher exams in a single day, and which could occur on a number of days across the currently planned slightly compressed diet.
We must be mindful of the burden that the approach to awarding in 2021 places on learners. On balance, I believe that bringing the start of the exam diet forward by a few days to 10 May will reduce the incidences of excessive candidate burden occurring, with minimal impact on reduced learning time. The SQA will be very shortly publishing the detailed exams timetable for 2021.