We understand that your child may be nervous or worried about sitting National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher exams. Exam time can be unsettling and we want to help ensure you have all the information you need to support your child. We have created Your Exams 2023 – a booklet, which is delivered to schools, colleges and training providers and includes helpful information and rules that your child needs to know before their exams start.
Important things to know about exams in 2023
- Exams will start on Monday 24 April and finish on Thursday 1 June.
- Some changes to the way each course is assessed are in place this year because of the ongoing disruption to learning. The exact changes depend on the course and may include reducing parts of an exam or providing more choice or time. Your child’s teacher or lecturer can explain more about the changes for their course or you can visit sqa.org.uk/nqmodifications.
- An Examination Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service (EECCS) is available if your child cannot attend their exam because of specific circumstances, or their performance on the day of their exam is disrupted or affected. More information on EECCS will be available after the Easter holidays.
- Your child’s school, college or training provider will provide an estimated grade for each course before the exams start. It is important that you and your child understand how their estimated grade relates to their performance in the assessments they have completed this year.
- Results are issued by post on Tuesday 8 August. You can encourage your child to sign up to MySQA at mysqa.org.uk if they want to receive their results by text or email.
- There’s a free appeals service. If your child receives a grade that doesn’t look right or is not what they were expecting, they can consider submitting an appeal directly to SQA or through their school, college or training provider. We recommend they speak to their teacher or lecturer first. Appeals 2023 is similar to the service used before 2020 and does not need alternative assessment evidence to support a request. Instead, your child can ask for their SQA-marked assessments to be reviewed by a senior SQA marker. They can also ask for their appeal to be prioritised if they have a conditional offer for further education, training or employment.
For more information including the exam timetable, prohibited items, SQA apps and tips for on the day read Your Exams 2023 today at sqa.org.uk/yourexams.
The best exam advice you can give your child is to be prepared, stay calm and do the best they can.
