A ministerial statement to the Scottish Parliament set out next year’s examination and qualifications arrangements.

In Aberdeenshire, secondary head teachers have welcomed the fact an announcement has been made, however they await further detail coming out after the October break which should support staff in how they best support candidates prepare for certification next year.

National 3/4/5

No change as these are already internally assessed and awarded on a pass or fail basis and there are no external exams.

National 5

There will be no National 5 exams next year. An alternative certification model will be developed based on teacher judgement and this will be supported by resources which are currently being developed and quality assurance measures will be in place to ensure consistency across the country.

Guidance on evidence gathering and estimation was published by the Scottish Qualifications Authority on Wednesday and further guidance will be issued on exactly what will be required of schools, staff and of course candidates after October. The focus will be on the quality of evidence rather than on the quantity and teacher professional judgement will remain of key importance.

Higher and Advanced Higher

The current planning assumes that exams will go ahead but the exam diet will start two weeks later than usual, on 13 May 2021, thus giving an additional two weeks of teaching time than has been the case in previous years. A contingency plan is also being developed should exams not be able to proceed again next year as a result of the pandemic.