Your coursework

The type of coursework you will do depends on what subject you are studying.

These can be;

• A portfolio
• Practical activities
• Performances
• Assignments
• Projects

You must only submit your own work. Passing off other people’s work and ideas as your own is called ‘plagiarism’ and it’s cheating.

It’s not your own work if:

• all or some of it has been done, or worked on, by someone else
• it has been done by someone who has produced similar work in the past (such as an older student)
• you use work that your teacher has prepared as an example
• you’ve copied it from a source, such as a book, website or an essay bank, without trying to put it in your own words or referencing it
• you’ve copied text, images or any other material from GenAI tools.

Unless you are working as part of a group (for example, on a group project), you must work alone to complete your coursework. If someone asks you for help, you should tell them to ask a teacher instead.

If you are finding any part of your course difficult, ask your teacher for advice. No other person can be involved, at any stage, in discussing or reviewing your coursework.

You may be able to use lots of different sources (including books, the internet and TV programmes) in your work, but it’s important that you reference them correctly.

When using sources, the general rules are;

• Use ‘quotation marks’ around any text that has come from other sources and clearly say where that text is from.
• Provide a reference for any diagrams or illustrations you’ve used from other sources.
• Create a bibliography (a list of sources you have used). This will go at the end of your work.
• Don't use text created by GenAI tools.

Your teacher will be able to help if you get stuck.

If you write about someone you know in real life, don’t use their name or any other information that could identify them in your coursework.

No. You might have heard about or used GenAI tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini. These tools can be helpful when you are researching topics for your coursework and exams. If you choose to use GenAI, you must still show your own knowledge and skills. You must only submit your own work for marking. Text created by a GenAI tool is not your own work.

Ask your teacher if you are not sure whether you can use GenAI tools.

Find out more about our policy on AI in assessments.

Language, writing and images

Don’t include rude, abusive, offensive or discriminatory language or images in your work. If you submit work that includes discriminatory material, such as racist or sexist content, people who are marking your work will report it to us.

Written coursework must be legible. Markers will do their best to read your work, but they may not be able to award marks if it’s too difficult to read.

Word count

If your coursework has a minimum or maximum word count, you must stick to it. You might be penalised if you don’t.

Resource sheets

For some subjects, you are allowed to use resource sheets (also called ‘research sheets’ or ‘processed information sheets’). Your teacher will tell you if you need one and show you how to use it. If you are not sure whether you will need to use one, ask your teacher.

If you need to use a resource sheet, make sure you know the rules. You could lose marks if you don’t use it correctly. You must submit your resource sheet with your coursework. If you don’t, you will automatically lose 20% of the marks available.

We use software that helps us identify plagiarism, collusion and the use of GenAI. This software works by matching copied text with the sources it has been taken from.

If an investigation finds you’ve broken any rules, there may be a penalty, which could include the following.

• Your marks can be reduced, or you can be awarded zero marks.
• Your qualification for that subject can be cancelled.
• All of your qualifications for the entire year can be cancelled.

If you need extra support for coursework, performances or exams because of a disability or additional support need, your school can arrange this for you. We call this ‘assessment arrangements’. You don’t need to be formally diagnosed by a doctor to get this support.

You can find out more about what types of support you can get in our assessment arrangements guide for learners.

A new awarding body called Qualifications Scotland will soon take over from SQA. The information on the page will still be correct. You don’t need to do anything different to complete your qualifications. Your teachers will tell you what you have to do and when.