For some learners, the summer holidays have already begun. For many others, this last week of term will come as a welcome opportunity to hopefully relax after a uniquely challenging school year. Whatever the circumstances, everyone at SQA would like to thank you for the effort and resilience you have demonstrated.
By now, your school, college or training provider will have confirmed provisional results for your National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher courses, and explained to you how those awards were determined using the evidence of your learning and skills that you have produced.
Schools, colleges, training providers and SQA have worked hard to help ensure that your results are credible and reflect your skills, knowledge and understanding. Whether you continue with your learning or move on to further/higher education, training or employment, you and your parents/carers can be proud of your achievements.
Once your provisional results are sent to SQA
SQA will not change your provisional results. Once they have been submitted by your school, college or training provider, we will check them for any administrative errors that may have occurred.
We will then gather the data we have received from schools, colleges, and training providers and start the process of producing your Scottish qualifications certificate that will be delivered to you on Tuesday 10 August. In the meantime, here’s an overview of the steps and support available to you over the coming weeks.
Friday 25 June 2021 – Registration opens for NQ Appeals Service 2021
You will have received a copy of our Learner Appeals Booklet 2021 in the post to your home address. If you haven’t received a copy in the post, you can also access a digital copy. This booklet tells you what you need to know about the free appeals service for National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher qualifications in 2021.
If you are unhappy with your provisional results, you can now register that you want to appeal. You can do this directly on the SQA website.
The registration service will close on Thursday 12 August and your appeal will be processed after Results Day on Tuesday 10 August.
Get Results Day ready
Register for MySQA by Wednesday 21 July
MySQA is our online results service. Signing up for MySQA means that you don’t need to wait for the postie delivering your results certificate – your results will be sent to you by text or email from 8am on Results Day, Tuesday 10 August 2021.
When you sign-up to MySQA, you will also be able to access a record of all the SQA courses and qualifications you have achieved.
Visit www.mysqa.org.uk to create an account and set your preferences. You’ll need a note of your Scottish Candidate Number (it was detailed in the letter you received with your Learner Appeals Booklet), an email address, and a phone number.
What to expect on Results Day
You will receive your Scottish Qualifications Certificate by post on Tuesday 10 August 2021.
If you have applied to a university or college through UCAS, they will also receive your results.
If you don’t receive your certificate on results day, contact your school or college immediately. They will be able to tell you your results and will work with us to find out what has happened to your certificate.
You can find more information on getting your results in our What you need to know for 2021 booklet.
National Qualifications in session 2021-22
The Scottish Government will decide if a national diet of exams should take place next year and is aiming to provide more information on this at the start of the new term in August.
SQA will work with the Scottish Government, and our partners in education and training, to make appropriate arrangements for the assessment of National Qualifications in session 2021-22.
In the meantime, we have made modifications to the assessment requirements for most National 5 to Advanced Higher courses in session 2021-22, in response to the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.
For most courses, these are the same modifications as last session and may include things like:
- Removing an assessment or part of an assessment.
- Reducing the amount of evidence required in an assessment.
- Advising which topics or parts of the course will/will not be assessed next session.
Details of the modifications for each subject are available from the NQ subject pages of our website and we have also shared these with your school, college, or training provider. This will help your teachers or lecturers to prepare you for assessment, regardless of the assessment approach.
For National 4 courses, the added value unit assessment will be optional in session 2021-22.
Support as you plan your next steps
Our support and resources webpage contains information to assist you as you plan your next steps. This includes how to contact SQA if you have questions about your results certificate, as well as links to:
- Useful resources from our partner organisations, including Skills Development Scotland, who operate a Dedicate helpline offering guidance on employment, education and future career choices
- Information if you have applied, or are planning to apply, to college or university
- Organisations which are on hand to support your mental health and wellbeing
SQA will be sharing updates over the summer on Twitter @mysqa_sam, Facebook @MySQA and on our website.
