SQA responds to OECD paper on senior phase assessment in Scotland

Tuesday 31 August 2021

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has today published its paper on senior phase assessment in Scotland.

The OECD’s paper Upper-secondary Education Student Assessment in Scotland: A Comparative Perspective follows its report on Curriculum for Excellence in June.

Responding to the paper, SQA Chief Executive Fiona Robertson said:

"The pandemic has shone a spotlight on learning and teaching and the way young people are assessed. Today’s paper is a welcome contribution to the debate about the future of assessment in Scotland. SQA is well placed to play a leading part in that debate, as its successor will be.

"Whatever reform intentions emerge over the coming months, it is in everyone’s interests to commit to maintaining the high national standards in the short and long term that have long been the hallmark of Scotland's qualifications.

"In the meantime, SQA will continue to serve Scotland’s learners, including the delivery of exams next year – should it be safe to do so – as part of the established and agreed assessment approach."

SQA’s evidence submission to the OECD team