Publication of exam analysis - correspondence and drafts: FOI release

Information requested

I would like to request the following materials under Freedom of Information:

• All communications between Ministers, Special Advisers and communication staff regarding the publication of exam analysis by the Scottish Government (see here: https://news.gov.scot/news/publication-of-exam-analysis)
• Any drafts of pages 1-3 of the exam analysis (see here: )

Response

With regard to bullet 1, please find a range of enclosures attached at Annex A.

With regard to bullet 2, you may wish to note that while the Scottish Government holds a draft version of pages 1-3 of the exam analysis there are no substantive differences to the published version. Changes were made to correct a small number of typographical errors.

Within the enclosures redactions have been made under Section 25(1) and Section 38(1)(b).

Some of the information you have requested is available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/exam-results-analysis-2019/.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e. the names/contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

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The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI/202000017654 - Annex A and Information Released

File type

10 page PDF

File size

677.7 kB