Locally elected school boards took over existing parish and burgh schools, and the churches handed their schools to the school boards without charge. Produced by the Scotch (later 'Scottish') Education Department, these exam papers show how education developed in Scotland over this period, with a growing choice of subjects. Comparing them with current exam papers, there are obvious differences in the content and standards of the questions, and also in the layout and use of language. The WJEC Publication Policy explains when WJEC examination documents such as past papers and mark schemes are made available to registered examination centres and to members of the public. Please note, the past papers for each year also contain the critical essay questions for each genre. Scotland's independent committee of council on education was formed in 1885, and was known as the Scotch Education Department. The first permanent secretary of this department was Henry Craik (1846-1927).

Past papers are a useful revision tool. They enable you to gauge your subject knowledge and uncover your strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to understand what areas you need to devote more time to and conversely, what areas you can devote less time to. Please Note - The "New Higher" papers listed below are NOT those used for actual examinations. The New Higher was first assessed in 2015. The materials below were designed to support those sitting the new qualifications in their first year. The digitised papers contain examination papers for the School Leaving Certificate 1888-1961 and the Scottish Certificate of Education 1962-1963. The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 laid the basis for the modern non-sectarian system of public schooling. It made education compulsory for all children aged 5 to 13, except for children who achieved a certificate in the 'three "R"s' — reading, writing and arithmetic.

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