By Martha Fairlie BBC Scotland education correspondent

Two years ago the Scottish exams system was on the brink of meltdown.

Thousands of certificates missing, thousands more results incorrect.

In the months running up to the delivery of exam results, there were warning signs that something was wrong.

But Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) bosses insisted certificates would arrive just as they always had done.

Of course, they were soon to be proved wrong.

And suddenly, something that had been taken for granted was no longer a certainty.

No one had ever thought to question the process of delivering exam results before.

Every move the SQA made was put under the microscope.

Job done

It was a fiasco that Scotland couldn't afford to go through twice. Last year, the SQA and the Scottish Executive pulled out all the stops to make sure it didn't.

Two years on, there is an air of confidence at the SQA's offices in Dalkeith.

Most of the staff have finished their work for this summer at the cavernous building where one and a quarter million exam scripts were processed.

Papers were filed away weeks ago, and thoughts are already turning to next year's exams.

Deadlines set for the delivery of this year's certificates have all passed without incident; many of the tasks were completed well ahead of schedule.

Signing off

It would seem that normal service has been resumed. After the debacle of the year 2000, no-one is going to promise 100% success in delivering certificates, but they're willing to say they'll be pretty close.

Another sign that things are back on track came on Monday when the Ministerial Review Group set up in the aftermath of the year 2000 exams met for the final time.

The working group had been intended to act as an "early warning system" to flag up any potential problems.

The Education Minister, Cathy Jamieson, believes the group helped to restore people's confidence in the exam system.

It will be replaced later this year by an advisory council which will keep schools, colleges, teachers and parents in touch with future developments at the SQA.

Counting the cost

But while the delivery of exam results is going smoothly, that doesn't mean the end of the matter.

The examining body is in theory meant to be a self-funding operation.

The fees charged to local councils for every candidate sitting exams should cover the cost of running the SQA.

The reality, however, is somewhat different.

It took �11m of extra funding from the Scottish Executive to get last year's results out safely.

This year, the SQA has been given a similar level of support; it will be phased out over a number of years.

Proof of the pudding

And there have been further changes behind the scenes.

Former health trust chief executive David Fraser is the new man at the helm, taking over from the SQA's interim chief executive, Bill Morton.

Performance indicators are being introduced to monitor the SQA's delivery of key objectives.

And the SQA Act, which comes into operation later this year, will bring a slimmed-down board of directors, with greater emphasis on governance and strategic management.

But for candidates what really matters is that their results are accurate and on time.

Last year, the SQA delivered on its promises.

This year, it's confident it can do the same.