WHEN Shirley-Anne Somerville says she will take full responsibility for the appeals process for this year’s diet of “exams”, she’s doing nothing noble or exceptional: she is merely explaining where responsibility lies – with her. The SQA is not some alien monster inflicted on the education system, controlling exams and, of its own volition, making teachers’ and pupils’ lives a misery. No, the SQA is a quango set up by and controlled by the Government. It is the Government that sets the policy and it is for the SQA to exercise its technical expertise to carry out this policy effectively and efficiently. So, Curriculum for Excellence is a Government-determined programme and this includes not only the outcomes but also the assessment regime. SQA’s job is to provide the technical expertise to ensure that the assessments achieve the aims determined by the Government.