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SQA announces changes to exam timetable 2025
SQA announces changes to the 2025 exam timetable for National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher qualifications.
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SQA announces changes to exam timetable 2025
3
February
2025
None
Monday 03 February 2025
SQA has today announced changes to the 2025 exam timetable for National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher qualifications, after listening to feedback from learners, schools and parents/carers.
The 2025 exams will now start one day earlier on Friday 25 April, and end as planned on Monday 2 June – addressing concerns about exam workload for learners.
In 2024, SQA consulted extensively with external stakeholders, including Schools Leaders Scotland (SLS) and the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES), before the publication of the 2025 National Qualifications timetable. SQA was asked by stakeholders to consider a later start date to ensure learners had a full week back at school after the Easter holidays.
SQA took on board this feedback and delayed the start of the timetable to Monday 28 April, having been advised that any scheduling issues could be resolved at a local level within schools. However, since publishing the timetable last year, a growing number of concerns have been raised about the increase in coincident and consecutive exams - where two or more exams have been scheduled at the same time, or a learner is due to sit two exams directly after one another – and an increase in pressure on learners.
The introduction of an extra day at the start of the timetable significantly reduces the number of coincident and consecutive exams. Adding an extra day also eases potential logistical challenges for schools and colleges, including assessment arrangements for learners who require additional support.
Jean Blair, Director of Operations at SQA, said: “SQA works with external stakeholders when drafting the examination timetable. Our top priority is developing a timetable that allows learners to produce their best work on the day of their exams.
“As the Easter holidays are later this year, we responded to feedback from partners and produced a compressed timetable to allow learners more time to prepare for their exams. This led to a rise in coincident and consecutive exams. We have listened to and share the concerns raised by schools, colleges, learners and parents/carers about this. The new timetable will ease pressure for many learners giving them a better chance to perform to the best of their abilities on the day of their exam.”
While the new timetable does decrease the number of learners impacted by scheduling issues overall, the changes may mean that some learners will have consecutive exams that they did not have previously. SQA has discussed feedback and the revised timetable with SLS and ADES, and all parties agree that these changes will be an overall benefit to learners and schools.
Graham Hutton, General Secretary of School Leaders Scotland said, “We continue to share feedback and work with SQA and other partners in the best interests of both learners and our members. The delayed start to the exam period was designed to allow learners to be more exam-ready after the later Easter holidays. As a consequence, this led to an increased number of learners having exams close together or coincident. We therefore agree with the changes made by SQA to reduce the impact of coincident and consecutive exams on learners.”
Commenting on behalf of ADES, Stewart Nicolson agreed, “It’s important that all partners continue to listen to feedback from across the education community and take appropriate action when needed. We agree with the updates to the 2025 exam timetable which reduce exam workload for learners and for the staff supporting them during the exam period.”
Schools, colleges and other SQA centres where examinations are sat have been informed of the update to the start of the exam period, and amends to the timetable. The full 2024-25 exam timetable can be found on the Exam timetable and learner apps page of our website.
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447
03-FEB-2025
Mon, 3 Feb 2025 10:16:02 +0000
NEW
New steps to promote anti-racism through qualifications
SQA confirms changes to the language used in its documentation to promote anti-racism through education.
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New steps to promote anti-racism through qualifications
31
January
2025
None
Thursday 30 January 2025
SQA has announced changes to the language used in its geography, history and classical studies courses as part of its work to promote anti-racism through education.
The changes are a response to concerns raised by learners and teachers about language which reflects outdated views of enslavement, colonialism and race.
They form part of the wider Anti-Racism in Education Programme (AREP), which is being marked today by a Scottish Government summit led by the First Minister.
Examples of the changes SQA has made include:
The terms ‘enslaved person’ or ‘enslaved African’ replaces ‘slave’, while ‘enslaved Africans’ fight for freedom’ replaces ‘slave rebellion.’
The ‘impact of individual Scots on their new countries’ replaces ‘contribution of individual Scots to their new countries’
The term ‘informal housing’ or ‘informal housing settlement’ replaces ‘shanty town’
'Indigenous Americans’ replaces ‘Native American tribes’.
These modifications are critical first steps of wider work across the education community to embed anti-racism and to decolonise the curriculum.
The Education Youth Ambassadors at Intercultural Youth Scotland stated: “We are very happy to see that SQA has responded to the concerns that we, and many other young people of colour, have raised, by taking direct action to change language in the history, geography, and classical studies exams. We look forward to further developments that take a deeper look at the exams and embed anti-racism across all subjects within the Scottish curriculum."
John Booth, Director of Communications at SQA, said: “Education has a critical role to play in tackling racism and promoting an anti-racist culture in our society. Attitudes and beliefs are shaped in part by what is taught in schools and therefore it is essential that we do everything we can to ensure our assessments and qualifications promote a clear, positive message that reflects modern understanding of historical events.
“As we move from SQA to Qualifications Scotland, we look forward to playing our part alongside learners, educators and many others to promote anti-racist education.”
SQA is also aware that a number of ‘SQA endorsed’ history textbooks – which date back to 2013 and contain out-dated language and depictions of enslavement and colonialism – are still being used in some schools. SQA no longer endorses these or any other textbooks and has reminded schools that they must not be used in classrooms and libraries.
Further information
Changes have been made to subject course specification documents which are available via the links below.
Classical Studies
National 5 course specification
Higher course specification
Geography
National 5 course specification
Higher course specification
History
National 5 course specification
Higher course specification
Advanced Higher course specification
The Scottish Government’s Anti-Racism in Education Programme consists of a broad set of ambitions which will put in place measures which embed anti-racism in schools. The programme was conceived because of significant demand from learners, education professionals and parents to create an anti-racist curriculum. Consistent calls for anti-racist education have come through various channels like the Scottish Youth Parliament, Children’s Parliament – key message to Cabinet 2021 and the All Learners Matter National Discussion survey 2022. The Intercultural Youth Scotland Insight Report also highlighted learner appeals to decolonise.
112667
447
31-JAN-2025
Fri, 31 Jan 2025 10:36:42 +0000
UPDATED
