New qualifications in science and languages are to be introduced for S5 and S6 pupils in Scotland’s schools.
Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop said that the Scottish Language Baccalaureate and Scottish Science Baccalaureate have been created to build on the back of success of Advanced Highers.
Proposed structure of Language Baccalaureate:

Interdisciplinary project at Advanced Higher
English or Gàidhlig at […]

The Independent reports that ‘Teenagers studying for their French GCSE exams will soon be tested on their oral skills during visits to shops or market places while on foreign exchange trips. They will be tested on their speaking and comprehension skills as they purchase goods in a French street market or converse with the family […]

The launch by SQA of Intermediate 1 and 2 qualifications in Mandarin and Cantonese for Scottish secondary school pupils is a significant development.
In working towards a stronger engagement with China, appreciation and knowledge of language is vital. Following an intense period of preparation Scottish students will now have the opportunity to opt […]

SQA has launched a new service that means candidates can get their exam results by email or text on Tuesday 5 August 2008.
Visit MySQA to register.

National Qualifications has created a collection of useful support materials to help teachers, students and parents prepare for exams. These include:

The Sunday Herald exam guide 2008
2008 exam timetable
Past paper questions
Interactive study skills resource
Guide to National Qualifications
Popular revision resources

Find further information about these on the NQ exam preparation page

Speaking assessments for GCSE modern foreign languages will change to make them a more accurate reflection of pupils’ ability and their capacity to respond to real life situations, Schools Minister Jim Knight has announced.
From September 2009 students will be assessed on different occasions during Key Stage 4, rather than face a single ‘oral’ examination at […]

The BBC reports that oral tests could be dropped from language GCSEs because they are ‘too stressful’, according to a report.The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority could adopt a recommendation to rely on teacher assessments instead, reports the Sunday Telegraph. The QCA said its report next week would follow the line of a previous review which […]