The results are in for the SQA

Last year the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) came under fire after launching a very unusable website for students to check their exam results. We commented at the time, in The Scotsman, that a series of usability tests would have identified the problems prior to launch and would have saved a great deal of bad publicity and prevented frustration and anger for tens of thousands of Scottish students.

I am always a happy chap when a bad situation turns good. In May this year a good friend of mine sat an SQA exam and has nervously been awaiting her results. At 8am this morning she received a lovely text from the SQA saying she had passed her exam. You see my friend had signed up to the new SQA results system whereby students could have signed up to receive their results by either text or email in addition to receiving their results via post. This year seems a far cry from the chaos of 2007 with around 25,000 students receiving their results in their preferred medium.

It is clear that the SQA have realised the problems from last year implementing positive change and developing a better, more usable way for students to get their results.

Students will always receive their exam results via post, but by offering additional methods such as email and text, gives people the chance to get their results a little earlier and in a way that suits them. Hopefully this will also prevent the average postman being lynched on the street by some stressed-out anxious students seeking their certificates.