- author, Joan Macaulay
- role BBC Scotland News
When the final exam of the 2024 Scottish exam diet – Gaelic Nat 5 listening – comes to an end later, candidates, teachers and parents across the country will breathe a sigh of relief.
So will the army of people who have to ensure that logistics run smoothly and that no one cheats.
They are the invigilators who, for six weeks each spring, conduct every aspect of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) assessments in more than 500 schools and colleges.
Dr. Alex Laird is one of them.
The end of this year’s exams marks the end of a quarter of a century of watching students as they sit their Higher and National Fives.
Dr Laird is Head Warden at Portobello High School in Edinburgh, where her main aim for 25 years has been to ensure that everything is in place for candidates to give their best.
“You have to have good organizational skills, attention to detail, and it helps immensely if you have a very good memory,” she said.
“Candidates should just be able to come in and take the exam without any excitement or excitement for them.”
She says many people assume the job is a case of marching up and down to make sure people don’t cheat. But there are also complicated logistics.
And Dr Laird revealed that in her experience with thousands of applicants, she can count on one hand the number of people she has caught cheating.
‘Special conditions’
She told BBC Scotland News: “There are only three undisputed cases of deliberate breaching of the rules.
“One was in a modern languages exam when it struck me that one candidate seemed to be looking up an awful lot of words [in a dictionary] starting with A or B. But it really turned out that they had notes tucked in there.
“The last one was a mobile phone in someone’s pocket, which is obviously completely against the rules. Not only was it in their pocket, it was turned on.”
She added that these incidents are very rare and the vast majority of applicants have been polite, appreciative and follow the rules.
Another big change and an additional challenge is the increase in the number of candidates who need special accommodations to sit their exams, such as the use of IT, extra time or a separate room.
Dr Laird said: “It’s no longer the concept of everyone walking into the school hall.
“This year we had 22 rooms on the move for Nat Five English.
“Also, many students need their exam paper to be slightly different from the standard version – such as a certain font or enlarged print, or colored paper.
“Some schools may need them to be in Braille. So you have to know exactly where that candidate is going to be because you have to bring them the right sheet.”
Dr. Laird also trains other observers and advises on their responsibilities – even down to their shoes.
She said: “Squeaky shoes would have driven me completely crazy when I was a candidate.
“Similarly, jingling coins or keys in their pockets is a no-no.
“The warden’s role is to be there to try and prevent any problems, not to cause them.”
Dr Laird said it was wrong to stand or sit too close to a candidate.
She added: “You have to move.
“We are responsible for making sure applicants follow the rules and that means wardens have to stick to the rules too.”
Observers also have to deal with the occasional medical incident.
“We had a spectacular nosebleed a few years ago.
“A member of staff had to sit with gloves on and copy [the answers]because you can’t even put the paper in a copier.
“In exam rooms, it can be really hard to get the temperature right.
“Sometimes someone is close to heatstroke and, I’m afraid, people go beyond just being sick and sick.”
Noise can also be a distraction to deal with.
“You can mow the lawn in the summer or drill outside.
“One early May, in the mating season, a pair of pigeons on the roof of the hall were quite evidently talking to each other, shall we say!
“It was impossible to ignore and all the candidates in the hall were very aware of it!”
Dr. Laird is turning over his responsibilities to retired math teacher Bill Webster, who has been mentoring for seven years.
He believes the role is key to the smooth running of the examination process.
“We are a cog in a wheel, and if there is a missing cog, everything stops.
“I think you become more aware of the details of the job and the things you have to remember from year to year.
“I like to organize things. I’ve worked in education for a long, long time and it seems like an extension of that.”
He added: “By the end of May we are tired, happy that everything is over and gone well and hopefully any issues that have arisen have been resolved to the satisfaction of all concerned.”
Jacqui Faulds, SQA’s head of appointee management, said: “Supervisors play an essential role in delivering the annual review diet.
“Simply put, without their expertise and input, Exams in Scotland would not have happened.
“We are indebted to colleagues like Alex and Bill who give up their time each year to ensure that learners have the best possible opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding on exam day.”
As he retires, Dr Laird is now looking forward to seeing a little more daylight from late April to late May, but will miss colleagues and candidates.
She said: “There’s satisfaction because you know you’re helping the next generation of young people get to that point where they can go out into the world and go on to do whatever they want.
“Getting the exam results you want is a huge confidence boost.
“Probably the best thing about the job is knowing that people have done it for us and you’re paying it forward.”