sqa exams 2023

[NicolaSturGONE]

So only about 2 months til the final exams so starting a thread to discuss revision, exams etc.

Have any schools released details of easter revision classes yet? I've heard nothing from our school and don't know if they are doing any. If they aren't, I might look at what else is on offer over easter.

Can't believe it's Tuesday. My pal said her head teacher friend had results from Thursday - could this be correct?

😂😂 oh god I wish I hadn't read this! That'll be me now too.

Of course it's worth it. Plenty of people end up on courses they didn't quite get the grades for. Can't hurt to ask. Fingers crossed it's not necessary.

I'm so nervous!

I saw a tweet by Liam McIlvennay (sp?) about his 1995 English O Grade paper, which was on Laidlaw (which his dad wrote). Imagine making mistakes on that paper 😂

on another note, when are the grade boundaries released? is it the following day? I'd be interested to know if certain exams were lowered.

I am so nervous on DS’s behalf that I couldn’t sleep last night.

Although part of what is worrying me is that I told him for months not to get too worked up for the exams because he could always fall back on his prelims if he needs to appeal.

At the time I genuinely thought that was the case. I haven’t yet told him I was wrong because he would then just have been would up until results day. Have a made a mistake? I should tell him before Tuesday shouldn’t I, just in case? I wouldn’t want him getting results worse than his prelims, thinking “that’s OK, I’ll appeal” and not being able to.

@user143777534 did he get the booklet about how to appeal? Maybe you could let him read that and he can sort of see for himself... Prelim grades would come in if there's exceptional circumstances, not just for doing less well in the final exam. But I can see how you wouldn't know as it has been being changed by the SQA each year since covid began, and also changed a few years before that as well (so when you were at school, prelims probably counted more).

I reckon all hell will break loose when parents and pupils realise the changes to the appeals system. I suspect no one will have paid attention before Tuesday and I doubt many have read the leaflet.

Their teachers will have told them about the appeals system, also on website. I'm not saying I agree with it, but I wouldn't think parents have much grounds for making an actual complaint.

That’s a good idea. I’ll point him at the booklet, offer to go through it with him, and ‘fess up that I “recently realised the process wasn’t what I thought it was last time we talked about it”.

My child didn't receive the booklet - they are s6 though. Maybe just missing in post! Hope is doesn't mean they aren't signed up properly with the SQA

Does it basically mean no appeals unless extenuating circumstances?

Ds only got his a couple of days ago
Maybe theirs is just running late

This is the important page i think

Last year, a friend of my dc had a conditional offer. Didn’t get the conditions but got an email from the uni on results day confirming their place anyway.
Probably depends on how many people on the course declined unconditionals.
Fingers crossed for you.

Appeals have returned to closer to the pre-covid model. In my first few years of teaching appeals were as they were last year - evidence was sent in by schools for review. When the Nationals and CfE Highers were introduced we moved to the "review" method where an appeal can only be lodged if a candidate performs below their school provided estimate; this doesn't involve any evidence and is just a clerical check (have marks been added up correctly/has the paper been fully marked and annotated). There may also be a review of the marking by a senior marker - this is where they check that the marks applied have been done so in line with the national standard.

Hit post too soon

This year, there is no evidence being submitted and there is only a clerical/marking check of the exam paper, but it's open to anyone, so an appeal can be lodged even if a candidate has achieved in line with their estimate. It's a bit of a half way house really.

It is later on on results day.

Didn't realise UCAS doesn't update offers etc till 9am.

Results come at 8am

If ds has managed to pass anything I certainly don't want to look at the grade boundaries!

Well this time tomorrow hopefully we will all know…I have butterflies

Most, if not all, of the kids in my Higher class were aware of the changes to the appeals. It might be worth checking with them before panicking. The key difference with a remark is that marks can go down as well as up.

My child has said they’ll come and tell me their Nat 5 results ‘when they’re ready’ after (hopefully) receiving the text at 8am DC ‘hopes’ they’ve passed their Maths as they found it hard and know for sure they got some answers wrong. Hoping for some solid Bs and a couple of As and Cs - which will be fine - but who knows. Either way, we’re not stressing about it. They had a difficult couple of years after Lockdown resulting in a change of schools near the end of S3 so I’m happy they’re settled and happy now. Fingers crossed (no fingers crossed emoji on MN???!) Good luck to everyone else - see y’all tomorrow!

My kids are away on a camping trip with their pals. One has signed up to text results, one hasn't. So I'm going to have to sit and look at an envelope till they get home late on Tuesday evening.
I'm so anxious for highers ds. He worked so hard, he tried so hard. But his results will be mediocre at best. Exams just don't suit him.

Good luck to all kids and parents tomorrow 🤞

Joining back in for the anxious wait... DS is fine... he's off to Uni, having accepted an unconditional offer, in 6 weeks so results irrelevant... although he'd hope to do well in AH Biology as Biology is a large part of his degree.

DD1 is another story... she is autistic and suffers from anxiety and has a tendency to set very high standards for herself and the be extra hard on herself if she doesn't achieve what she hoped... her prelims were 5 As a B and a C but she's thinks she should get all As... certainly she was working at that level in last papers but that's very different to sitting an exam and her maths paper was blighted by incorrect exam arrangements and subsequent panic and so a "special circumstances " request was submitted. Fingers crossed very hard here, not because I or anybody else puts pressure on her to achieve but because she does herself! ( I am very glad she has a therapy session tomorrow afternoon in any case).

🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞