The Hayward Review: How Scotland's Exams Are Changing

You’ve probably seen headlines about Scotland scrapping exams. That’s not quite what’s happening — but the changes are real, and they will affect your child if they’re currently in primary school.

What the Hayward Review is

In 2021, the Scottish Government commissioned Professor Louise Hayward of the University of Glasgow to lead an independent review of Scotland’s qualifications system. The review reported in June 2023 with 26 recommendations. The headline proposal: replace National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers with a new Scottish Diploma of Achievement.

This wasn’t a bolt from nowhere. Criticism of Scotland’s exam system had been building for years — concerns about narrowing the curriculum in S4–S6, over-reliance on terminal exams, stress on pupils, and the gap between what CfE promised (breadth, skills, creativity) and what the qualification system rewards (memorisation under timed conditions).

What was proposed

The review’s key proposals:

• Scottish Diploma of Achievement — a single award combining three elements: programmes of learning (academic subjects), a project (extended independent work), and personal development (community involvement, volunteering, wider skills)
• Less reliance on terminal exams — more coursework, portfolio assessment, and teacher judgement
• Broader recognition — skills, volunteering and work experience counting towards the diploma alongside exam grades
• A new body to run it — SQA to be replaced (this has happened — Qualifications Scotland launched in late 2025)

What’s been accepted

The Scottish Government accepted the review’s direction in September 2023. Specifically:

• SQA replaced by Qualifications Scotland — done. The new body took over in late 2025 with a broader remit including curriculum alignment.
• Scottish Diploma of Achievement — accepted in principle. The detailed design is underway but not finalised.
• More coursework and less terminal assessment — accepted in principle. How this works in practice (and whether it means fewer exam papers or shorter ones) is still being worked out.
• Project-based component — accepted. How it’s assessed and moderated is unresolved.

The timeline

This is the part that matters most for parents. When does this actually affect your child?

• Now (2026): National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers continue exactly as before. No changes to the exam system.
• 2027–2028: Qualifications Scotland designs the new framework. Possible small-scale pilots in a handful of schools.
• 2028–2030: Earliest possible phased introduction. The first cohort to sit genuinely new qualifications is unlikely before 2030.
• 2030+: Full implementation — if everything goes to plan.

If your child is currently in S1 or above, they will almost certainly sit National 5s and Highers as they exist today. If your child is currently in P5 or below, they may be the first cohort to experience the new system.

What teachers think

Teachers are broadly supportive of the principles — less exam pressure, more flexibility, recognition of broader skills. But they’re sceptical about implementation. The EIS (Scotland’s largest teaching union) has warned that:

• Teachers need significant training before delivering new assessment models
• Workload will increase if coursework replaces exams without a reduction in class sizes
• Moderation of portfolio-based assessment is much harder than marking exam papers
• The 2010 CfE rollout was rushed and teachers don’t want a repeat

These concerns are legitimate. The biggest risk isn’t the change itself but a poorly managed transition.

What universities think

Scottish universities are cautiously supportive. They were involved in the review and understand the proposal. The worry is international recognition — will an English university admissions tutor understand a Scottish Diploma of Achievement the way they understand Highers? Will UCAS have a clear tariff?

Qualifications Scotland is working with UCAS on this, but it’s an unresolved question. Every time Scotland changes its qualifications (as it did with CfE in 2013), there’s a transition period where universities are learning the new system. That creates uncertainty for the first few cohorts.

What this means for your child — right now

If your child is in S1–S6: nothing changes. Focus on the exams they’re going to sit, not the ones that might exist in five years.

If your child is in primary: the system they enter in S4 may look different from the one current S4 pupils are in. But the core skills — reading, writing, numeracy, analytical thinking — will still be what matters. No parent needs to change what they’re doing today.

Our view: the Hayward proposals are sensible in principle. Scotland’s exam system is too narrow, too stressful, and too disconnected from CfE’s original vision. But reform only works if it’s properly funded, teachers are trained, and the transition is gradual. The worst outcome would be a rushed implementation that creates a chaotic first cohort — and parents are right to watch the timeline carefully.