Alternative Venues Service - updated eligibility rules for 2025

We’re updating our eligibility rules for the Alternative Venues Service in 2025.

Centres can use the Alternative Venues Service to request alternative exam venues for candidates who can’t attend the centre on the day of the exam. We handle requests for alternative venues within Scotland and a smaller number of requests for candidates who are outside Scotland during the exam. These may be candidates who have completed the course but have moved overseas, candidates representing their country in a national team at a major sporting event, or candidates attending an event that is crucial for their academic or career progression.

For the 2025 service, candidates representing their country in a sporting event will need to provide a letter from the relevant national governing body to confirm they’ve been selected for the representative national team.

Likewise, those attending an event that’s crucial for their academic or career progression will need to provide a letter from the relevant educational institution. This letter must confirm that the activity cannot be rescheduled and that the candidate’s participation is a pre-condition for entry onto a course or employment pathway.

We’ll publish full guidance on the 2025 service before it opens for requests in October 2024. Please advise candidates to only book travel and accommodation if the requests have been approved by SQA. Unless we’ve given approval, there’s no guarantee they will be able to sit their exams at an alternative venue.