2025 SQA Exams

[Issy422]

With SQA exams starting tomorrow, is it time for a general exam thread?

It's just DD for me, doing Nat 5s. My first 'anxious parent for formal exams' experience. Starts with Music on Monday and ends with Art & Design on 26th, so we've exams throughout. Study leave not started here so first exam is on first day of study leave. She's over revision already so going to be a long 5 weeks.

Ooh I'll join in first time here as well, DD doing 8 Nat5s first exam on 30th April (Admin) last 30th May (RMPS). First day of study leave today and she's actually studying without too much persuasion!

Oh me too. DD doing 7 Nat 5s starting with Computing tomorrow and finishing with Biology on 27th May. Lots of her friends seem to be finishing early and going on holiday before S5 starts in June, so she's wishing she hadn't taken Biology! She's also been snowed under with assignments but studying ok now.

Just coming over here from my other thread. DD is doing AH drama (no exam, but she’s got a dissertation to finish for 6 May). Higher history on 9 May and higher business on 23 May. She needs a B from either of the highers or D for drama to get into uni. Very nervous for her as it’s not a given that she will get the grades. She really struggles with dyslexia.

👋 @Willowback , @LaughingLemur and @Ineedcoffeenow

We may have gone away too, but it's English half-term week so prices are high. Just as well as DDs school now has induction for the next year on 30th. Not sure how that will work for RMPS students.

Dd also Nat5. Thought her computing exam was at 1pm, thank god I double checked the timetable.

Eek, that could have been nasty, glad you caught it —a warning for me to double check!

s5 highers here. DD has 3 next week, Geography Tues 29th, Graph Comm Wed 30th and Chemistry Thurs 1st. Which is a really really tough week for her. She then has 10 days before Accounting Tues 13th and then 14 days until Biology Tues 27th! So horrible intense start, but doesn't even get to finish early.

She is doing well though, has been studying hard.

S6 here. Higher Engineering & Biology. Has accommodations (ASD & Dyslexia). Her 'familiar face' who has been in all exams so far won't be available - can I explain". I can but its possible then won't be able to go in on day. If so (really hope not!) would they be awarded grades as already submitted to SQA?

My dd has been really lucky with the timetable hers are all well spaced out with at least 3 days between each subject. She has a full week between her last two.

Well DD is in a stinking mood and saying that we’re putting too much pressure on her. Just tiptoeing around for a while 🙈

Highers here with the first exam on the 7th (English) and last exam on the 23rd. DD is hoping for 5As so putting herself under a fair amount of pressure to get the grades she wants. Slightly worried about 1 subject because the class teacher went off sick at quite a crucial time.

She has been studying pretty consistently and prelim results were good, but you can never tell!

We are trying to make sure she knows that it's not all about the results and trying to balance out the stress. I think this is harder as a parent than it was as a teen 😉

👋 @BoarBrush , @Chesticles , @pinkingshears

@BoarBrush Just as well you checked. DD asked me to create her a timetable and then I was putting the exams in my work calendar in case mum taxi needed and noticed Modern has moved. Then she brought home her personal timetable from school and noticed I had Apps of Maths a day early. Was glad of that one as she has exams on the Tuesday and Wednesday that week, so the day between will be helpful.

@Chesticles 3 in the first week is really tough. I hope she's had some study leave. Study leave here starts Monday so glad DD only has one exam next week.

@pinkingshears Afraid I don't know. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along. There's an UCAS applications thread with some wp parents on it who may be able to help

Definitely feels more stressful than when I was doing exams. It’s got harder with each year. S6 definitely feels like it’s make or break.

👋 @cazzyg Apologies, cross post. Definitely more nervous as a parent than a teen.

4 Nat 5's here, spaced a week apart so quite lucky on that front. Most stressful for DD is 1st exam, English on the 6th. We have some AA's in place but still fighting for breaks (suspected asd/ADHD). With less than 2 weeks to go, it's stressful! Had a terrible time at prelims but thankfully tutoring has made a massive difference. Trying to get the balance between studying & burning out!

👋 @dddilemma English is the second exam for DD. Her prelims were also not as good as her results in previous exams. Has hit her hard. It's the difference between knowing one term of work rather than a full year's work. She's always struggled with memory.

I gave DD every Saturday off in her revision timetable plus long breaks and a couple of early finishes each week and she keeps trying to fill them in. Trying to get her to understand that she needs rest as well.

Can’t believe that I am joining this thread with an exam aged child this year! DD is in S4 and has 7 Nat 5s and 1 Higher. She starts on Monday with Music and then Chemistry later in the week. She has 5 in 12 days then the rest are more spread out.

It’s tough when they’re doing Nat 5s and have one exam after another. Obviously Highers are harder, but at least they don’t have to leap from one subject to another every few days.

Starting tomorrow here and all done and dusted by 20th May (I think or around that time) so we have a couple of back to back days and three in one week which is tough.

I thought same as PP about end of May trip but the English half term / bank holiday means it’s all quite ££. I haven’t ruled anything out if things don’t go smoothly but we’ll see.

👋 @tetleyhead , @Locallassie

I've not long got my head round Scotland having a year less school than England and Wales, can't imagine doing a Higher so young.

We have three in one week too and possibly the worst three as one has a lot to memorise and DD has struggled with maths this year, which is next day.

The Higher was a surprise to us too. It was school recommendation and while we were unsure, it’s been the right decision. I just wish it hadn’t been the first exam she did!

I thought it might be music. Be great to have a higher under her belt.

DD doing Nat 5 on Monday. She's doing Higher next year but there's a timetable clash, so she'll be doing her Higher in an S4 class plus a free period. Really frustrating as they've just got rid of a rubbish teacher, so she's not been taught much for years and they had to cram everything in to the last 6 months. Whole class spectacularly failed the listening test prelim in October and they had to do the composition assessment in just one day.

That is incredibly frustrating @Issy422 I wonder if the composition assessment is a common issue though as she did hers in a pretty similar timeframe? We had not thought about Higher as an option but it was driven by the school and her instructor agreed. It’s been a baptism of fire.
DD has relied heavily on My Music Online to get ready for the prelim as she had gaps. Found it very helpful.

I'll check that out. I bought the How to Pass and it recommends JM-Education, which seems good for the listening test. Tried to link but wouldn't post.

Have found the listening test paper papers prep a real faff. You can get the exerts list on line but that’s all due to copyright . I ended up making iTunes playlists for each exert and sharing them with DD. You obviously need to actual track not a different recording. Some are tricky to track down. DD and her school swear by My Music Online. She announced to say that she’d ’finished the website’ 😂