How to request personal information

The Data Protection Act 1998

The Data Protection Act 1998 protects personal information. Under the Act you have the right to ask if we process any personal information about you. The Act refers to you as a 'data subject', and to the information SQA holds about you as 'personal data'. Your request is known as a 'subject access request'.

How do I make a Subject Access Request?

If you would like to make a request for your personal information, please complete our subject access request form (275 KB) and send it to this address accompanied by a £10 fee:

Data Protection Officer
Scottish Qualifications Authority
The Optima Building
58 Robertson St
Glasgow
G2 8DQ

Email: data.protection@sqa.org.uk

Payment methods

We accept payment by the following methods:

  • Cheque (made payable to Scottish Qualifications Authority at the address provided)
  • Postal Order
  • Credit or Debit Cards (by telephone to our Finance Department on 0345 213 5325)
  • BACS ( please contact data.protection@sqa.org.uk if you would like to make payment by BACS)

What happens next?

Your request will be acknowledged within five working days. We will respond to your request within 40 days.

What will I receive?

You will receive a copy of all, or part, of the information we hold about you, and an explanation if any information cannot be provided.

Can I find out more about my exam results?

At busy periods it can take up to 40 days for SQA to respond to your subject access request. You might therefore prefer to use one of SQA’s other services to access the information we hold about your results:

Can I access my exam script under the Data Protection Act?

Your Examination script is exempt from release under the Data Protection Act. SQA markers are instructed not to add their comments to examination scripts, but occasionally this does happen. You are entitled to receive a copy of any marks or comments markers add to your script. We will provide these, if available, in response to your subject access request.

Asking for information on someone’s behalf

You can ask a third party representative to act on your behalf when making a subject access request. This could be someone like a solicitor, financial advisor, doctor, carer or family member. In this case, SQA must be satisfied that the third party making the request is entitled to act on your behalf. It is their responsibility to provide evidence that you have consented to this arrangement. SQA’s data subject access request form (275 KB) covers these instructions.

Parental and guardian rights

In cases where data subjects are incapable of understanding or exercising their rights, subject access requests may be made by parents or other persons who are legally able to act on behalf of the data subjects.

Further information and guidance

Data Protection Registration

SQA is a registered data controller. To find out what we process, go to: http://www.ico.gov.uk/ESDWebPages/search.asp and enter our registration number Z5781759.