Visiting assessment for Dance, Drama, Music, and Advanced Higher Gàidhlig and Modern Languages
Preparations for visiting assessment are well underway.
For full information, the Guide for SQA Co-ordinators 2024-25 on SQA Connect includes a section on visiting assessment. Please read this before visiting assessment starts in February.
Visiting assessment periods
Visiting assessment will take place between the following dates:
- 10 February – 21 March: National 5 and Higher Music
- 10 February – 25 April: National 5 and Higher Dance, and National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Drama
- 17 February – 28 March: Advanced Higher Gàidhlig, and Advanced Higher Modern Languages
- 28 April – 16 May: Advanced Higher Music
Centre release
We rely on centres to provide release for visiting assessors (VAs) where requested. This important part of candidate assessment can only be sustained by working in partnership, and we hope that we can count on your support again in 2025.
It's essential for the smooth running of visiting assessment that centres allow teachers and lecturers to be absent from their centre to conduct assessment for candidates throughout Scotland.
VAs may need to reduce their centre visits or withdraw from visiting assessment duties for various reasons. Please only ask teachers and lecturers to withdraw from these duties in exceptional circumstances. When a VA withdraws, we need to re-allocate their centres to another VA. This can lead to delays in arranging visit dates and an increase in the time that VAs need to be away from their own candidates. Keeping withdrawals to a minimum will help improve the experience for candidates, centres, teachers and lecturers and SQA appointees.
Centre visits
We issue information for teachers and lecturers for each subject. This contains instructions on the preparation required in advance of visiting assessing.
Please be as flexible as possible when agreeing visit dates with your VAs. They can be given a number of centres to visit, and they’ll also have their own centre’s visits to accommodate. We recommend that you have a number of dates available to discuss with your allocated VA.
Visiting assessments are worth up to 80% of candidate grades for these courses. You should therefore treat them with the same importance as question paper exams. Please ensure that suitable accommodation is available, and that teachers and lecturers are available to support with running these exams. Your candidates must be available for the duration of the assessment periods, and must not miss the assessment due to a holiday arrangement.
Queries
If you have any queries about visiting assessment, please email visiting.examining@sqa.org.uk.