Alternative Venues service 2025

Centres can request alternative exam venues for learners who can’t attend the centre on the day of the exam. This is done through the Alternative Venues service that handles requests for alternative venues within Scotland and a smaller number of requests for learners who are outside Scotland at the time of the exam. These may be learners who’ve completed the course but have moved overseas, learners representing their country in a national team at a major sporting event, or learners attending an event that is crucial for their academic or career progression.

Eligibility in 2025

We’re updating eligibility for the Alternative Venues service in 2025. Learners 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 learner'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. Please advise learners 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.