Scotland Pupils Protest Higher Maths Exam After Petition Calls for Review of Paper One

Pupils in Scotland said they were left upset, hopeless and fearing for their futures after sitting a Higher Maths exam they described as "totally unrecognisable" from what they had prepared for in class.

“- Published Pupils in Scotland have told the BBC they were left upset, hopeless and fearing for their futures after sitting a Higher Maths exam which they said was "totally unrecognisable" from what they had prepared for in class”

BBC

The BBC reported that more than 11,000 people signed a petition calling for a review of the paper, which it said was "poorly worded, inconsistently structured, and out of step with every previous paper".

BBC

The BBC said the exam was the first year under Qualifications Scotland, which replaced the Scottish Qualifications Authority earlier this year, and that the Higher Maths exam is split into two papers with problems affecting pupils even though the petition only complains about paper one.

One S5 pupil in Aberdeen who hopes to study medicine told the BBC she was worried about her chances of being accepted into university if she does not get a top Maths grade, saying she felt "well prepared" ahead of the exam and had got an A in her prelim.

Another S5 pupil in South Lanarkshire told the BBC the language was "totally unrecognisable" from what he had seen before, and said he was now worried he might not make the grade.

Qualifications Scotland insisted all papers were checked to make sure they are "clear, fair and suitable," with the BBC quoting a spokesperson saying "All exam papers are created and checked by experienced subject teachers".

The BBC also reported that pupils’ main complaint included that some "command words" were different to what they had been taught to expect, so they did not know what was being asked.

Tes

Maths teacher Chris Smith told the BBC that Higher Maths needs to be "rigorous" because it is such a valuable qualification, adding that there should be questions that are routine and also questions that test and stretch the best candidates.

The Scottish government told the BBC that the exam diet and question papers were an operational matter for Qualifications Scotland, while the BBC said Qualifications Scotland monitors reaction to exams on social media and that quality assurance was in place before and after.

In parallel, The Scottish Sun said more than 11,000 people backed a probe blasting last Friday’s test as "poorly worded, inconsistently structured, and out of step with every previous paper" and quoted a South Lanarkshire student saying: "There were people in tears coming out that paper."

The BBC said one S5 pupil described the exam as "potentially a future-altering exam" and said he felt hopeless going into the second paper, with his chances of getting an A "out the window".

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The Edinburgh Inquirer

The same BBC report said the EIS asked their maths teachers network about the paper and that the initial feedback was that the exam was fair, with Chris Smith arguing it was a "good paper that had both" routine questions and questions that stretch top candidates.

Looking ahead, Tes said the 2026 Qualifications Scotland exam diet starts on Wednesday 22 April and finishes on Monday 1 June, with Tuesday 2 June listed as a "no exams contingency day".

Tes also said Qualifications Scotland results day will be on Tuesday 4 August, and that the planned date for the Scottish Parliament election is Thursday 7 May with exams taking place as normal on that date.

Tes added that the Examination Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service (EECCS) is available from Wednesday 22 April 2026 and has a closing date "10 working days after the exam for which each request is made," with no charge for the service.