Your Conduct

Writing Your Answers

Use a black or dark blue pen, and write legibly and neatly. Only use a pencil for objective tests, diagrams, graphs and rough work. In some subjects you may lose marks for untidy or illegible writing, for errors in spelling and punctuation. You must not use text language in any of your answers. When writing on unruled paper, try to leave a space of about a centimetre between lines.

Data booklets

You will be given booklets of tables or data when these are part of the exam, but you must not mark them in any way or take them from the exam room.

Rough work

Do not use scrap paper - all rough work must be done in the answer book supplied.

Make sure you cross out rough work when you have made a final copy.

Improper conduct

All improper conduct will be reported to SQA and investigated. You may lose marks, have your exam entry in the subject concerned cancelled or, in extreme circumstances, have all your entries for the exams you are taking cancelled.

If any of these actions are taken, or if SQA issues a warning letter about your conduct to your school or college, your school or college may not be able to submit an assessment appeal on your behalf.

Leaving the exam room

You should stay in the room until the exam is over, but if you have done as much of a paper as you can, the Invigilator may allow you to leave after half an hour (where the exam is timetabled for more than an hour) or 20 minutes (if the exam is of one hour's duration or less). Before leaving, you must give your answer book and question paper to the Invigilator, whatever it contains - otherwise, you may lose all the marks for the paper concerned.

If you feel unwell or upset, tell the Invigilator who can arrange for you to leave the room.

Exam material

All exam material, answer booklets and evidence submitted on your behalf for assessment will become or remain the physical and intellectual property of SQA. When you submit exam material, answer booklets or evidence to SQA for assessment, you permit SQA, and/or any other party authorised by SQA, to use these free of charge for any purpose SQA or such other authorised party thinks appropriate, including, without limitation, their use as teaching and/or exemplification material. In such a case, SQA will not disclose your name or Scottish Candidate Number or any identifying details. SQA is unable to return such items to you.

Absence

If you are prevented by illness or any other good reason from sitting the exam, or part of it, you should report this to your school or college as soon as possible. A medical certificate covering the day of the exam should be given to your school or college.

If you become ill during an exam, you may not need to provide a medical certificate.

Examples of improper conduct are:

• plagiarism - failure to acknowledge sources properly and/or submitting another person's work as if it were your own
• disruptive behaviour in the exam room
• having someone else sit an exam for you
• using inappropriate, offensive or obscene words or drawings in exam answer books or coursework   
• misuse of exam material (including question papers, stationery etc)
• use of unauthorised materials in the exam room (including use of notes, calculators, dictionaries, digital audio devices, mobile telephones etc)
• copying from another candidate
• collusion - working with other candidates on an individual task

 

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