How exams are marked and grades decided
Your exam paper journey
How we decide your Grade
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Awarding - Setting the standard in Scotland
After exams and coursework are completed, all question papers are packaged up and securely sent to be marked.
Over 6,500 experienced, subject-expert teachers and lecturers from across Scotland – mark the question papers and coursework.
They determine final marks in line with national standards, through careful application of marks schemes and following training and guidance from SQA. The consistency of marking is monitored by SQA throughout the marking period to ensure markers stay on standard.
What are grade boundaries and why do we need them?
Once marking is completed, 140 awarding meetings take place to evaluate how the assessment – exams, and in most subjects, coursework – for each National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher has performed. They set the minimum marks needed to get an A, B, C or D grade in a particular subject and level.
Overall, the aim is to ensure standards are maintained year on year, so that the qualifications and grades awarded retain their value and currency.
Final grades are based on learners’ demonstrated attainment as reflected in their performance in their SQA assessments. Historic performance at schools, colleges or local authorities is not used to determine grades.
Grade boundary meetings are not provided with any information that identifies individual learners, schools, colleges, training providers, or local authorities.
Who decides on the grade boundaries?
Grade boundary decisions are made using the expert judgement of senior examiners, the Principal Assessor and their depute, who are experienced subject specialists and course teachers or lecturers. To ensure a consistent approach to each subject, decision making meetings are chaired by senior SQA staff.
Are grade boundaries the same for every course and every level?
No. Grade boundaries vary from subject to subject, and by level, as all the information about how the assessment of each course has performed is reviewed separately.
Each course has its own content that allows learners to develop a specific set of knowledge, understanding and skills at distinct levels of difficulty. How learners are assessed to achieve a National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher in each course is different, based on its unique content and skills.