SCOTTISH pupils have been criticised for regurgitating ready-made revision notes in flagship exams.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said pupils sitting Advanced Higher English this summer had repeated sections from material provided by companies such as Sparknotes and Shmoop.
A spokesman for the SQA stressed the practice would not be acceptable in any exam, but highlighted the importance of pupils studying Advanced Higher to provide original work.
The spokesman also said that, while using ready made notes might seem a quick solution for pupils, it was clear to examiners what candidates had done.
"The use of ready-made notes to prepare for exams can lead to a situation where a candidate tries to fit their memorised notes into an answer, potentially losing marks due to not really answering the set question," he said.
"At Advanced Higher level we expect more original insight in candidates' work in both their exam performance and also their extended writing as part of their dissertation.
"It is important to note that this is not a wide-spread problem, but is a feature noted from candidates who have not done as well as they might have."
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union said revision notes were useful, but should be used to reinforce existing learning.
He said: "Clearly, pupils want to be as well prepared as possible before sitting a major exam and some will use commercial study notes to assist in their revision.
"While these guides can be useful and help to build up pupil confidence ahead of an exam, they should not be seen as blueprints to success.
"Pupils must be able to demonstrate understanding and analysis by responding to the question set if they are to achieve a good grade and regurgitating notes is self-penalising."
Alan McKenzie, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, said the use of notes was partly down to the pressure on teachers and pupils to perform in exams.
He said: "I have always had concerns about that sort of coaching, but we have a system where there is a significant amount of pressure on school staff and the candidates themselves to perform well in exams.
"English is a challenging subject and there is a place for the use of these support materials because of the complex plots and themes pupils will be discussing and writing about.
"However, Advanced Higher should be an exam where original thought is an important part of the answers given and it is worrying that examiners are highlighting this."
SparkNotes, originally part of a website called The Spark, is a company started by four Harvard students in 1999 that originally provided study guides for literature, poetry, history, film, and philosophy.
Later, SparkNotes expanded to provide study guides for a number of other subjects, including maths, health, physics, biology, chemistry, economics and sociology. SparkNotes does not charge users, but instead uses advertising for revenue.
Shmoop is an online learning tool designed for secondary pupils which features study guides on poetry, history and literature.
While such study aids are seen as helpful to improve the understanding of pupils who have done the appropriate classroom learning, there are concerns they can also be used as an alternative to study by some pupils.
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