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.

I suggested something like that, but my kids said it’s too controversial

The component is literally called Scottish Set Text. Every single text on it was written by a Scottish writer.

Have seen the paper - think the RUAE was really fair. No hidden surprises, the language was not unfairly challenging.

The essay Qs were a dream for Prose, Drama and Film & TV Drama. Didn't check poetry as O have no skin in that game.

Well done everyone who sat!

The AH paper was tricky, I think..hard TA poem, hard prose Qs for LS. Oh well!

Nervous for higher English tomorrow, so want it to go well for dc. Will be great to have a second higher ticked off.

My son sat the poetry section for his critical essay. I think he said it was about the atmosphere of the poem? Is that a tricky question?

No, very standard and works for almost all poems. They always get two questions to pick from but choose the one that suits their text best. He will definitely have had something he could write on!

My N5 class were lucky and both the prose Qs were gifts (theme and interesting character). We've also studied a film and both questions fit. Happy days!

Higher English here tomorrow. Nervous for DS - while I’m obviously pleased his highers are well spaced out, he’s been very lucky, it seems like they’re taking forever! This will be his second. He’s worked really hard so I hope he gets a good paper.

Thanks @YouBelongWithMe
He seemed to think it went ok so that’s good news! History on Friday which is huge in terms of content (I’m a history teacher myself) and then we are over half way through 😀

Same here, poem was dulce decorum est so perfect for atmosphere.

Also history Friday here which will mark the halfway point. Next week is nasty: maths, physics then apps of maths.

full week of no exams, then art on the Monday!

I cannot believe the N5 and AH was today, and then I've spent all evening calming down panicking Highers for tomorrow....and then SQA marking starts on Thursday 😭😭 no rest for the wicked.

Best of luck for those sitting History!!

Next one for us is Maths on Monday.

do all marking not start at the same time? I thought they started in June?
Does anyone know the final date for Art and Design folios to go to SQA?

No. H folio starts Thursday. N5 QP2 starts in a couple of weeks. H RUAE is the first week in June.

The different levels are totally separate teams at SQA and don't really coordinate.

They're gone, no? I thought it was the 24th April for both N5 and H.

Higher art and design folios at DD’s school had to be finished on the 7th April as the school sent them to the sqa on the 8th April.

Good luck to those taking Higher English 🍀🤞. Also Nat5 Practical Woodworking, H Childcare and Development and AH Mechanics of Mathematics if we have anyone doing those.

I found a link to a school that states 26 April for Nat 5 and H, 1 June for AH, but unclear if that's for the current year and also whether it's the deadline to submit to the school or for the school to submit to SQA.

English today! The big one! Glad today has finally come.

DD2 Higher English today… probably her biggest challenge…she’ll be very glad to see the back of it!

In the school I am working in all the Art folios were collected before the exams started.

DD says she was told 16 May for folio collection - hers is done - but some of her friends haven't. Its not H Art but its in that department (trying not to be outing). I guess I assumed the department did all subjects at the same time.

Good luck to HIgher English folk. Nearly 25y ago for me and I think it was Sunset Song and Phillip Larkin. DD did hers last year and it was the lighhouse and some Norman McCaig stuff I think or maybe that was N5...I remember thinking the lighthouse was some dark shit.

Good luck to the H English candidates today (including my DS), will be scanning the paper with interest to see if @cazzyg 's DC has a psychic streak.

Good luck to all sitting H English this morning - DD was up at 6:45 and out for a walk while reading her quotes on cue cards!

poor thing has had some quite dark themes with men shall weep and small things like these as her texts

Good luck to everyone doing Higher English today.

Just back from invigilating H English. Kids seemed happy with paper.

Totally baffled though by the behaviour of some of the candidates. The school I am working in has a policy of not letting anyone leave before the end of the exam as they think it is disruptive to the others. Especially in a big exam - we had over 100 in the hall for H English today. Around 6 candidates - all boys - did nothing. I mean literally nothing. They wrote their name on the front cover of the answer book and just sat there. They were not dsruptive and not doing anything wrong but just did not make any attempt at all at the questions and the one nearest to where I was sitting didn't even open the paper to read it.

I mean, this is a total waste of their time, of the teachers' time, the school's time, the SQA marker's time - although if the marker is paid per script it's a total bonus if you get a blank one I suppose. Why are candidates being presented for exams they have no intention of even trying to pass, and why are they even turning up to just sit in the hall ? Makes NO sense.

Yep according to DD both papers were bomb. She's buzzing after the exam and on a bit of a high which is a nice way to start the exam diet for her. Onto history next!