Accessibility statement for SQA

This accessibility statement applies to content published on the www.sqa.org.uk domain. It does not apply to content on other Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) domains (for example www.swqr.org.uk/) or subdomains (for example connect.sqa.org.uk).

This website is run by SQA. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using only a keyboard
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

• Many pages and documents are not written in plain language.
• Many documents are in PDF format and are not fully accessible.
• Figures, graphics and images in documents may have missing or incorrect alternative text attributes.
• Some PDFs are not tagged.
• Some document images have the file name as alternative text.
• Some documents have a blank document title.
• Word documents may contain a non-inline graphic or objects.
• Our FAQ section may pose issues for assistive technologies.
• Some interactive elements (this includes concertina/accordion functionality) may pose issues for assistive technologies.
• It is not always possible to change the device orientation from horizontal to vertical without making it more difficult to view the content.
• Some headings are not consistent.
• You cannot modify the line height or spacing of text.
• Live video streams do not have captions.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact: digital.team@sqa.org.uk

If you have problems accessing pages or documents published on this website, please contact Customer Support who will supply the page or document in an accessible format. Many of our publications can be produced in alternative formats, including large type, braille and community languages.

• Call Customer Support 0303 333 0330
• Submit you query using our Customer enquiry form

We aim to provide a full response to enquiries within five working days. If your enquiry is complex, we may need to refer it to another team; in these cases we aim to provide a full response within 20 working days.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website's accessibility

SQA is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

• Specimen Question Papers, Question Papers and coursework assessment tasks – these are designed to be printed. Not all accessibility features have been included to ensure these replicate the conditions candidates would experience during an exam. It is not always possible to add accessibility features without compromising the integrity of the assessments. We provide alternative assessment formats for candidates who require additional support.
• Digital Question Papers – These are designed as interactive PDFs to allow learners to answer question papers digitally and on screen. Not all accessibility features have been included to ensure these replicate the conditions candidates would experience during the exam. It is not always possible to add accessibility features without compromising the integrity of the assessments. We provide alternative assessment formats for candidates who require additional support.
• Documents using MathType may not be accessible to screenreaders. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
• We have CAPTCHAs on our forms to confirm that content is being accessed by a person rather than a computer, we do not supply text alternatives that identify and describe the purpose of the non-text content or provide output modes for different types of sensory perception. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content), 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 2.2.1 (Timing Adjustable).
• Some documents contain graphics without a text alternative. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
• Alternative text should not be an image file name. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1(Non-text Content).
• PDFs are not tagged to be accessible by screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
• Some headings are not presented in logical order. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
• Word documents contain a non-inline graphic or object. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.2 (Meaningful Sequence).
• Some document titles are blank. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
• PDFs missing PDF/UA identifier. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
• Some pages cannot be found through more than one type of navigation. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.5 (Multiple Ways).
• Missing language attribute to identify the language of the page. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.1.1 (Language of Page).
• Navigation is inconsistently named. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.2.4 (Consistent Identification).

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

The accessibility regulations do not require fixes to PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services and do not form part of our day-to-day functions.

We do not plan to fix documents that were published before 2018 or have low use, unless asked by a user. Those documents that are essential to our service that were published before 2018 will be added to our roadmap.

Live video

We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We regularly audit and check content on SQA.org.uk and seek to fix content that fails to meet the WCAG version 2.2 AA standard.

We have a project underway to improve accessibility across SQA's digital estate. This will ensure our website is fully compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA Standard.

This work will include the replacement of the SQA.org.uk website as the organisation transitions to a new body. This new website is planned to go live in late 2025.

What we're currently working on:

• Auditing all our forms to ensure they comply with accessibility guidelines (by November 2024).
• Updating our forms with version 3 of CAPTCHA (by November 2024).
• Fixing some interactive elements (this includes menus in concertina / accordion format / FAQs) to ensure they comply with accessibility guidelines (by November 2024).
• Preparation for the introduction of the WCAG 2.2 standard (ongoing to March 2025).
• Reviewing approach to assessment materials such as digital question papers in collaboration with users (by March 2025).
• Reviewing approach to assessment materials such as specimen question papers, Question papers and coursework assessment tasks, in collaboration with users (by March 2025).
• Fixing PDFs and Word documents that are essential to providing our services (by March 2025).

What are we planning to do next:

• Accessibility user testing on the website.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 20/09/19. The statement was last reviewed on 22/10/24. This website was last tested on 17/06/24 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. This test included the use of our automated accessibility tool, Powermapper (SortSite) and manual testing by the digital team.