Correspondence

I would like to know what plans the SQA put in place regarding potential disruption to the 2021 examinations diet, which has of course ultimately been cancelled.
 
I therefore ask that you release under FOISA any correspondence (including email attachments) between the SQA and the Scottish Government regarding options/plans for the awarding of National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications in 2021.
 
The time frame for this request is April 1 2020 - present

SQA has already provided you with information regarding plans for 2021 Awarding.  It is a very fluid situation that SQA is operating in and updated plans co-created with the NQ 2021 Group are published regularly on our website and can be accessed at the following weblink National Qualifications in 2020-21 - SQA.   These plans are produced in line with changes to the public health advice as issued by the Scottish Government.
In order to provide you with the information you have requested SQA requires to review all correspondence to retrieve the relevant information, redact where necessary and check.  To do this for all the correspondence requested would cost well in excess of £600.   Under section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 where an authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would result in costs in excess of £600 they are not required to comply.
Under section 15 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Duty to provide advice and assistance - if you can substantially refine your request this could bring the cost below the £600 and SQA will look at this again.  In order to avoid this exemption SQA suggest you may want to 
1) Narrow down the scope from 'SQA' to 'members of the SQA executive management team' and
2) Narrow down the request for 'all correspondence' to 'papers, letters and submissions' and
3) Narrow the time frame for the request.