Assessment

The latest news and analysis on exams in the UK, including key dates, timetables, results and statistics for Sats, GCSEs and A levels

Tuesday

6th May 2025

Why we test our future Year 7s on a Saturday
This secondary school gets new starters in for tests before they have finished primary – and it pays dividends, even if it does require some weekend working, explains the headteacher
Why we test our future Year 7s on a Saturday

Monday

5th May 2025

Need to know: Scottish National Standardised Assessments
Scotland introduced online literacy and numeracy assessments for pupils in primary and early secondary in 2017-18. Emma Seith reports all you need to know
Pupil walking around numbers in playground

Friday

2nd May 2025

Revealed: The SQA’s grades for teachers who mark exams
The proportion of exam markers graded A for their marking of some of the most popular Higher subjects ranged from 97 per cent to just 38 per cent last year, ÌÇÐÄVlog analysis shows
A grade montage
Exclusive

Tuesday

29th Apr 2025

ASN ‘crisis’ leaving school staff ‘overwhelmed’, warns SSTA
‘More and more’ pupils with additional support needs are being placed in mainstream classes despite cuts to specialist staff, says president of Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association
Boat in a storm

Monday

28th Apr 2025

‘Narrow’ GCSE English language needs ‘urgent’ change, says OCR
Exam board chief warns the current GCSE ‘fails to expose students to the full variety and potential of the English language’
'Narrow' English language GCSE needs to change, says OCR exam board chief

Friday

25th Apr 2025

Revealed: The most and least popular GCSE English lit texts
Schools need support to break away from An Inspector Calls to cover texts by authors from more diverse backgrounds, say experts
Books Leave Taking

Thursday

24th Apr 2025

5 ways to develop revision skills in primary
It’s never too early to start developing independent learning, and simple strategies can help primary pupils to feel more confident about assessments, says this deputy head
How to teach revision skills in primary schools

Wednesday

23rd Apr 2025

SQA awarding and accreditation functions ‘must be split’
In response to pressure from opposition MSPs, the education secretary says there is ‘no simple solution’ and looking for alternatives would ‘delay education reform’
Jenny Gilruth's warning

Friday

18th Apr 2025

S6 is a hard sell for Scottish schools - so what can they do?
Even if students have already achieved the grades they need for university, the final year of secondary school in Scotland can still be hugely rewarding, explains Alan Gillespie
Carrot on string

Thursday

17th Apr 2025

Scottish education reforms hit by ‘challenges’
The costs of reforming the SQA and Education Scotland are set to exceed funding, reveal the minutes of the group overseeing the changes
Scottish money tied to ground

Wednesday

9th Apr 2025

History: how the future is shaping student engagement
Technology is making its presence felt in various ways, writes director of humanities Suzie Whiting, so teaching and assessment need to keep up
History: how the future is shaping student engagement

Tuesday

8th Apr 2025

The damaging myth that GCSE-age students are ‘AI cheaters’
Most GCSE and A-level students turn to artificial intelligence as they would a textbook, not to cheat, but a narrative suggesting the opposite is destroying motivation, argues Harriet Joslin
SQA exploring use of AI to analyse exam marker feedback