Around 17,000 pupils across Tayside and Fife have begun sitting the national exams that could help to determine their future paths in life.
They are among 160,000 candidates at schools and colleges across Scotland who will plough their way through around 750,000 tests over the next month.
Dundee schools have 3000 pupils taking part and education convener Liz Fordyce said, “This is a very important time of year for our pupils who are sitting these exams. I would like to wish them all the best for the weeks ahead.
“I know that young people and their teachers have been working very hard in our secondaries over the school year to reach this stage.
“The encouragement that pupils receive from their families also helps them prepare for the exams and I would like to thank everyone who has been supporting them.”
Dundee’s exam record compared to other local authorities is poor, owing to its large proportion of children who come from deprived or difficult backgrounds.
However, there was a substantial improvement last year in the Higher pass rate and the council will be keen to see if that momentum can be maintained.
It will also want to see if a dip in performance at Standard Grade can be reversed.
The head of education at Fife Council Craig Munro said that “over 10,000 of our pupils will be starting to sit their exams in Fife this week.
“We really do wish them all well in their SQA exams. In order to be successful in exams there is no substitute for hard work.”
Mr Munro was also keen to stress that there is plenty of help out there for those hoping to boost their prospects.
“Smart learning is identifying the areas of weakness in a particular subject and then working on these areas,” he said. “This is where past papers and online tutorials can help. However, there is also very strong statistical evidence that where parents support their families in this revision cycle, performance improves significantly.”
The internet is a particularly abundant source of assistance.
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“We wish to remind all pupils and parents that revision material can be accessed online,” Mr Munro said. “Materials and past papers have also already been provided by teachers.
“The SQA website has past papers and markers’ guides which are invaluable for studying.
“Meanwhile, many Higher and Advanced Higher courses are provided for via the internet through the Scholar programme as well as Intermediate 2 maths.
“Pupils studying most subjects can access their Scholar accounts on scholar.hw.ac.uk which provides tutorials, examination questions and e-assessments.
“Furthermore BBC, Channel 4 and Learning and Teaching Scotland websites provide very good materials for revision. Pupils who have access to their Glow accounts will find a range of information that will be very helpful.”
Above all, Mr Munro urged pupils to stay calm.
“It is important that pupils do not panic in exam situations,” he said. “The best antidote to exam nerves is good preparation.
“However, if any pupil or parent is concerned or needs further advice they should contact their local school or call the inquiry line available from SQA on 0845 2791000.”
Pupils will learn their results on August 4, either through the traditional certificate popping through the letterbox or, for those who cannot wait for the postman, by email or text. In addition to their grades, pupils also get credit points for each exam. These are a gauge of the amount of learning that a particular course requires.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority has decided that from now on candidates who get a D in a Higher which is a fail will get 24 points, the same number as those who pass, instead of 18.
It feels that because the grade D pupils have covered the same ground as the others and gone through the same amount of study-160 hours is average for a Higher they deserve to be treated equally.
That will not change the fact that they have failed the exam, however.
Image used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of geograph.co.uk user David Hawgood.