Scottish Qualifications for Dummies.
Header: Other useful posts in this thread.
TheRabbit's tl;dr
S119234's CfE
------------------------------
It's come to my attention that there are a surprising number of non-Scottish members who don't understand our system - and although you probably will never need to understand it, it's always nice to know a little more. So I thought I'd create a megathread explaining it all. It's not complicated, you just need someone to sit down and explain it to you.
Curriculum for Excellence
This is a new revised curriculum the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) have produced to try to maximise the learning experience in Scotland, it was introduced while I was in S4 (2 years ago) so it has no effect on anyone who was studying at S3 and above at that time. This curriculum is designed for learning from ages 3-18, but we will ignore what this means for primary school pupils for now. CfE is designed around 4 main outcomes, these are to make children: Successful Learners; Confident Individuals; Responsible Citizens; and Effective Contributors.
Further changes to the curriculum are still to take place, and I'll go into detail on these changes in the relevant years, and will describe the new qualifications that are coming to play in its own equivalency at the bottom of this post, which I will create at a later date.
The guide that will follow will discuss how the qualifications are AT THE MOMENT, remember the CfE has already been introduced, just not fully
------------------------------
P1-P7 (Year 1 - 7)
Any differences in education at these stages are negligible as they are not contributory towards qualifications. P1 is short for Primary 1, and it continues like this until P7. This would be the same as year 1-7
N.B: S1 is also called First year, S2, second year .... S6, sixth year.
------------------------------
S1-S2 (Year 8 - 9)
This is where things get a bit different. S1 is short for Secondary 1 , and it continues thus forth until S6, which is the latest year you can stay on until. Pupils study at a level we call Access 1, 2 and 3 (this is the name of the qualification, however it isn't achieved, study at this level is just equivalent to the qualification, so I have used the qualification name for convenience) and each subject is designed around 7 principles the SQA put in place, I won't go into any detail about these as they are not relevant to the discussion (relevance is one of the principles
)
It is mandatory for schools to offer, at this stage, subjects covering all curriculum areas and these include:
-Expressive Arts (Music, Art, Drama, Dance)
-Health and Wellbeing (Personal, Social and Health Education, includes stuff like Sex Ed, talking about issues such as bullying, drugs and mental health, you get the idea!)
-Languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin...it's mandatory for schools to offer English and 1 Modern Foreign Language, at my school we only offer French. At another nearby school they offer almost all Romance languages, and as you will see on the boards, some do things such as Gaelic, Latin, Greek, Urdu etc.)
-Mathematics (In S1 and S2, this is split into Mathematics and Numeracy, and some schools split the maths part into maths and statistics independently)
-Religious and Moral Education ('Nuff said)
-Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
-Social Studies (Modern Studies, Geography, History - those subjects!)
-Technologies (Woodwork, Home Economics, Product/Graphic Design)
At the end of S2 pupils then choose which subjects they want to study in S3-S4.
------------------------------
S3 - S4 (Year 10-11)
After completing S2, pupils choose the subjects they want to study for the following 2 years. From my experience, most centres have their pupils study 8 subjects, but what is offered is not nationally regulated, so some pupils may do more or less at the discretion of the centre.
It's at this stage pupils will study for their first qualifications: their Standard Grades. Standard Grades exist in 3 levels, Foundation, General and Credit. At the end of S4 depending on student ability, they will sit exams at 2 levels. Either Foundation/General or General/Credit. Grade awards are ranked as such:
(Analogy can be drawn to the GCSE system, for example. 1 being equivalent to an A* at GCSE, and the rest degrading as you'd expect.)
N.B: Remember how some pupils sit the exam at just General/Credit level? This means if a pupil fails these papers a Foundation pass isn't an option and they subsequently fail the subject. The range of subjects that can be studied at Standard Grade level can be found here. Clicking on the individual subject involved will tell you what level of qualification it is available at, in a widget to the left of the main subject information.
(Something I enjoy that others might find interesting is that as well as teaching Scottish Gaelic as a foreign language, some centres also offer Gàidhlig, this is for native speakers of the language.)
Alternatives to Standard Grades
It is also at the discretion of the centre to offer subjects from another qualification pathway instead of the Standard Grade equivalent of that subject. e.g when I entered S3 my school offered Int 1/Int 2 Sciences and Standard Grade French, but now that I'm in S6 they offer the pupils coming up Standard Grade Sciences and Int 1/Int 2 French. I will now explain these qualifications tout de suite.
I believe Access 3 courses are awarded on the basis of pass/fail, if someone could confirm or correct me on this it would be much appreciated.
Intermediate 1 courses are awarded A, B, C, D and Fail.
Intermediate 2 courses are awarded A, B, C, D and Fail. (Note that a D grade is a fail, but basically taunts you by saying "Aha! You were soooo close to passing! Nanana!")
Which qualification is harder is often independent of the subject, and even the exam that year. Many Int 2 courses are harder than their Standard Grade counterpart, for example though, there is a widely held belief that Int 2 Maths is much easier than Standard Grade Credit Maths.
At the end of S3 the Standard Grade exam can be sat by some pupils to allow entrance into a "Fast Track" course, allowing pupils to sit the Higher in that subject over 2 years, while sitting the exam in S5 as normal. This option, however, is at the discretion of the centre and is largely dependent on the course.
New Qualifications
In the 2013/2014 session, qualifications will begin being replaced. Standard Grade General and Intermediate 1 will be replaced by the new National 4 (Nat 4), Standard Grade Credit and Intermediate 2 replaced by National 5, and Standard Grade Foundation and Access 3 will be replaced by a new, revised Access 3 course.
Progression after S4
At the end of S4, pupils will choose the subjects they want to study in S5. They may also opt to leave school that year and go to college, do an apprenticeship or just find a job. If you aren't 16 by August 17th of the year you would begin S5 you can't leave until Christmas that year. I might create a progression flowchart to attach to this thread, pupils usually choose 5 subjects to study, but again this is at the discretion of the centre. Usual progression stands like this:
In the event of someone failing a subject, how they may progress with that subject is entirely at the discretion of the centre.
------------------------------
S5 (Year 12)
So you've opted into staying on at school, good for you! And I bet you probably want to go to University too? Good! Highers are the standard entry qualification into university in Scotland. Scottish Universities will make offers to applicants based on the grades they achieved at Higher level, and may ask for certain subjects to have been attained at a certain level in Intermediate 2 or Standard Grade.
The number of Highers studied by a pupil is at their discretion, for example, I had to study 5 subjects in 5th year and I chose to study them all at Higher level. But I could have instead did 4 Highers and an Int 2, or 3 Highers and...you get the picture! Once again, to view subjects offered at Higher level they can be found here
Higher level qualifications are awarded A, B, C, D or Fail. Some Highers are awarded on the basis of pass/fail, but these are few and far between. Furthermore, these grades are split up into "bands"
Again, Highers are the standard entry qualification for Scottish Universities, and you can easily find what Scottish Universities ask for by checking out their website or picking up a prospectus.
Crashing
In S5 and S6 you have the option to "crash" a Higher. This means you take the course on without any past experience with it, whether you're allowed to crash it or not is at the discretion of the centre. Think of it like doing the AS Level in the subject without having done it at GCSE.
Progression after S5
Students have the option to stay on to S6, where they will study further subjects at Int 1, Int 2, Higher or Advanced Higher Level. They also have the option of leaving school after S5 and doing whatever they please, this may include going to university if they have already met the entry requirements for their course, going to a college to study for a HNC/HND or even study NQs there, or just finding a job.
Progression into the next subject level stands as such:
Intermediate 1 Pass -> Intermediate 2 in S6
Intermediate 2 Pass -> Higher in S6
Higher Pass -> Advanced Higher in S6*
All of these progressions are at the discretion of the centre, for example, at my school to be entered for an Advanced Higher in a subject you must have attained an A Grade in it at Higher, and to go onto Higher you must have achieved at least a B at Int 2.
New Qualifications
In 2014/2015, Highers will be replaced by a new, revised, Higher qualification. This will involve a revision of the courses and course arrangements for the revised Highers for certain subjects have already been released.
------------------------------
S6 (Year 13)
So now you're in your final year. Scary isn't it? What are you going to do? If anything, S6 is the year that presents pupils with the most opportunities.
Again, most pupils just continue studying subjects at Higher level, but for those with an interest in a particular area and know what they want to do, there is the Advanced Higher.
Advanced Highers are the Scottish qualification that will be asked for by English Universities, they are also an entry requirement for Veterinary Medicine in Scotland, as well as "preferred" for Medicine and Dentistry (They say preferred, but you need them, in reality.)
Advanced Higher subjects are designed to challenge students and are meant to emulate the first year at University, as learning will be more self-driven and a practical side of the course becoming a requirement. For example, with Advanced Higher Sciences, 20% of your final grade is allocated to an Investigation that you carry out relevant to your subject. If good grades are achieved at Advanced Higher, it can allow for a school leaver to hop onto the second year of a course at University, which courses allow for this is once again at the discretion of the University. Second Year Entry Requirements, where applicable, can be found on a course's entry requirements page.
Advanced Highers are graded in the exact same way as Highers:
Progression after S6
Well that's the end of it, they've harboured you for six years and now they don't want you anymore. That's the end of your school life...but keep your chin up! From here you can go onto college, or even University, and if it so pleases you, onto the world of work.
New Qualifications
In 2015/2016, Advanced Highers will be replaced by the new, revised Advanced Higher course. This, like with Higher, just involves revision of the course structure.
------------------------------
That's all there is to say about Scottish Qualifications at the moment, there has been some information released about Nat 4 and Nat 5 qualifications, and very little for the new Higher. I'll create a section talking about the changes that are to come once more information has been released, and create a new thread altogether when the changes come to fruition and this thread is defunct.
All feedback and criticism is welcome, if I've missed anything or you feel anything needs to be elaborated on, say it, I'll be more than happy to hear it. If there are sufficient questions, I might create a separate FAQ thread. Thanks for reading!
TheRabbit's tl;dr
S119234's CfE
------------------------------
It's come to my attention that there are a surprising number of non-Scottish members who don't understand our system - and although you probably will never need to understand it, it's always nice to know a little more. So I thought I'd create a megathread explaining it all. It's not complicated, you just need someone to sit down and explain it to you.
Curriculum for Excellence
This is a new revised curriculum the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) have produced to try to maximise the learning experience in Scotland, it was introduced while I was in S4 (2 years ago) so it has no effect on anyone who was studying at S3 and above at that time. This curriculum is designed for learning from ages 3-18, but we will ignore what this means for primary school pupils for now. CfE is designed around 4 main outcomes, these are to make children: Successful Learners; Confident Individuals; Responsible Citizens; and Effective Contributors.
Further changes to the curriculum are still to take place, and I'll go into detail on these changes in the relevant years, and will describe the new qualifications that are coming to play in its own equivalency at the bottom of this post, which I will create at a later date.
The guide that will follow will discuss how the qualifications are AT THE MOMENT, remember the CfE has already been introduced, just not fully
------------------------------
P1-P7 (Year 1 - 7)
Any differences in education at these stages are negligible as they are not contributory towards qualifications. P1 is short for Primary 1, and it continues like this until P7. This would be the same as year 1-7
N.B: S1 is also called First year, S2, second year .... S6, sixth year.
------------------------------
S1-S2 (Year 8 - 9)
This is where things get a bit different. S1 is short for Secondary 1 , and it continues thus forth until S6, which is the latest year you can stay on until. Pupils study at a level we call Access 1, 2 and 3 (this is the name of the qualification, however it isn't achieved, study at this level is just equivalent to the qualification, so I have used the qualification name for convenience) and each subject is designed around 7 principles the SQA put in place, I won't go into any detail about these as they are not relevant to the discussion (relevance is one of the principles
)It is mandatory for schools to offer, at this stage, subjects covering all curriculum areas and these include:
-Expressive Arts (Music, Art, Drama, Dance)
-Health and Wellbeing (Personal, Social and Health Education, includes stuff like Sex Ed, talking about issues such as bullying, drugs and mental health, you get the idea!)
-Languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin...it's mandatory for schools to offer English and 1 Modern Foreign Language, at my school we only offer French. At another nearby school they offer almost all Romance languages, and as you will see on the boards, some do things such as Gaelic, Latin, Greek, Urdu etc.)
-Mathematics (In S1 and S2, this is split into Mathematics and Numeracy, and some schools split the maths part into maths and statistics independently)
-Religious and Moral Education ('Nuff said)
-Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
-Social Studies (Modern Studies, Geography, History - those subjects!)
-Technologies (Woodwork, Home Economics, Product/Graphic Design)
At the end of S2 pupils then choose which subjects they want to study in S3-S4.
------------------------------
S3 - S4 (Year 10-11)
After completing S2, pupils choose the subjects they want to study for the following 2 years. From my experience, most centres have their pupils study 8 subjects, but what is offered is not nationally regulated, so some pupils may do more or less at the discretion of the centre.
It's at this stage pupils will study for their first qualifications: their Standard Grades. Standard Grades exist in 3 levels, Foundation, General and Credit. At the end of S4 depending on student ability, they will sit exams at 2 levels. Either Foundation/General or General/Credit. Grade awards are ranked as such:
(Analogy can be drawn to the GCSE system, for example. 1 being equivalent to an A* at GCSE, and the rest degrading as you'd expect.)
1 - High Credit Pass
2 - Credit Pass
3 - High General Pass
4 - General Pass
5 - High Foundation Pass
6 - Foundation Pass
7 - Fail
2 - Credit Pass
3 - High General Pass
4 - General Pass
5 - High Foundation Pass
6 - Foundation Pass
7 - Fail
N.B: Remember how some pupils sit the exam at just General/Credit level? This means if a pupil fails these papers a Foundation pass isn't an option and they subsequently fail the subject. The range of subjects that can be studied at Standard Grade level can be found here. Clicking on the individual subject involved will tell you what level of qualification it is available at, in a widget to the left of the main subject information.
(Something I enjoy that others might find interesting is that as well as teaching Scottish Gaelic as a foreign language, some centres also offer Gàidhlig, this is for native speakers of the language.)
Alternatives to Standard Grades
It is also at the discretion of the centre to offer subjects from another qualification pathway instead of the Standard Grade equivalent of that subject. e.g when I entered S3 my school offered Int 1/Int 2 Sciences and Standard Grade French, but now that I'm in S6 they offer the pupils coming up Standard Grade Sciences and Int 1/Int 2 French. I will now explain these qualifications tout de suite.
Access 3 = Standard Grade Foundation
Intermediate 1 = Standard Grade General
Intermediate 2 = Standard Grade Credit
Intermediate 1 = Standard Grade General
Intermediate 2 = Standard Grade Credit
I believe Access 3 courses are awarded on the basis of pass/fail, if someone could confirm or correct me on this it would be much appreciated.
Intermediate 1 courses are awarded A, B, C, D and Fail.
Intermediate 2 courses are awarded A, B, C, D and Fail. (Note that a D grade is a fail, but basically taunts you by saying "Aha! You were soooo close to passing! Nanana!")
Which qualification is harder is often independent of the subject, and even the exam that year. Many Int 2 courses are harder than their Standard Grade counterpart, for example though, there is a widely held belief that Int 2 Maths is much easier than Standard Grade Credit Maths.
At the end of S3 the Standard Grade exam can be sat by some pupils to allow entrance into a "Fast Track" course, allowing pupils to sit the Higher in that subject over 2 years, while sitting the exam in S5 as normal. This option, however, is at the discretion of the centre and is largely dependent on the course.
New Qualifications
In the 2013/2014 session, qualifications will begin being replaced. Standard Grade General and Intermediate 1 will be replaced by the new National 4 (Nat 4), Standard Grade Credit and Intermediate 2 replaced by National 5, and Standard Grade Foundation and Access 3 will be replaced by a new, revised Access 3 course.
Progression after S4
At the end of S4, pupils will choose the subjects they want to study in S5. They may also opt to leave school that year and go to college, do an apprenticeship or just find a job. If you aren't 16 by August 17th of the year you would begin S5 you can't leave until Christmas that year. I might create a progression flowchart to attach to this thread, pupils usually choose 5 subjects to study, but again this is at the discretion of the centre. Usual progression stands like this:
Standard Grade Credit Pass in S4 -> Study the subject at Higher
Standard Grade General Pass in S4 -> Study the subject at Int 2
Standard Grade Foundation Pass in S4 -> Study the subject at Int 1
Standard Grade General Pass in S4 -> Study the subject at Int 2
Standard Grade Foundation Pass in S4 -> Study the subject at Int 1
In the event of someone failing a subject, how they may progress with that subject is entirely at the discretion of the centre.
------------------------------
S5 (Year 12)
So you've opted into staying on at school, good for you! And I bet you probably want to go to University too? Good! Highers are the standard entry qualification into university in Scotland. Scottish Universities will make offers to applicants based on the grades they achieved at Higher level, and may ask for certain subjects to have been attained at a certain level in Intermediate 2 or Standard Grade.
The number of Highers studied by a pupil is at their discretion, for example, I had to study 5 subjects in 5th year and I chose to study them all at Higher level. But I could have instead did 4 Highers and an Int 2, or 3 Highers and...you get the picture! Once again, to view subjects offered at Higher level they can be found here
Higher level qualifications are awarded A, B, C, D or Fail. Some Highers are awarded on the basis of pass/fail, but these are few and far between. Furthermore, these grades are split up into "bands"
-Highest
A1 (Pronounced A band one)
A2 (A band two)
B3 (B band three)
B4 ...
C5
C6
D7
Fail
-Lowest
A1 (Pronounced A band one)
A2 (A band two)
B3 (B band three)
B4 ...
C5
C6
D7
Fail
-Lowest
Again, Highers are the standard entry qualification for Scottish Universities, and you can easily find what Scottish Universities ask for by checking out their website or picking up a prospectus.
Crashing
In S5 and S6 you have the option to "crash" a Higher. This means you take the course on without any past experience with it, whether you're allowed to crash it or not is at the discretion of the centre. Think of it like doing the AS Level in the subject without having done it at GCSE.
Progression after S5
Students have the option to stay on to S6, where they will study further subjects at Int 1, Int 2, Higher or Advanced Higher Level. They also have the option of leaving school after S5 and doing whatever they please, this may include going to university if they have already met the entry requirements for their course, going to a college to study for a HNC/HND or even study NQs there, or just finding a job.
Progression into the next subject level stands as such:
Intermediate 1 Pass -> Intermediate 2 in S6
Intermediate 2 Pass -> Higher in S6
Higher Pass -> Advanced Higher in S6*
All of these progressions are at the discretion of the centre, for example, at my school to be entered for an Advanced Higher in a subject you must have attained an A Grade in it at Higher, and to go onto Higher you must have achieved at least a B at Int 2.
New Qualifications
In 2014/2015, Highers will be replaced by a new, revised, Higher qualification. This will involve a revision of the courses and course arrangements for the revised Highers for certain subjects have already been released.
------------------------------
S6 (Year 13)
So now you're in your final year. Scary isn't it? What are you going to do? If anything, S6 is the year that presents pupils with the most opportunities.
Again, most pupils just continue studying subjects at Higher level, but for those with an interest in a particular area and know what they want to do, there is the Advanced Higher.
Advanced Highers are the Scottish qualification that will be asked for by English Universities, they are also an entry requirement for Veterinary Medicine in Scotland, as well as "preferred" for Medicine and Dentistry (They say preferred, but you need them, in reality.)
Advanced Higher subjects are designed to challenge students and are meant to emulate the first year at University, as learning will be more self-driven and a practical side of the course becoming a requirement. For example, with Advanced Higher Sciences, 20% of your final grade is allocated to an Investigation that you carry out relevant to your subject. If good grades are achieved at Advanced Higher, it can allow for a school leaver to hop onto the second year of a course at University, which courses allow for this is once again at the discretion of the University. Second Year Entry Requirements, where applicable, can be found on a course's entry requirements page.
Advanced Highers are graded in the exact same way as Highers:
-Highest
A1 (Pronounced A band one)
A2 (A band two)
B3 (B band three)
B4 ...
C5
C6
D7
Fail
-Lowest
A1 (Pronounced A band one)
A2 (A band two)
B3 (B band three)
B4 ...
C5
C6
D7
Fail
-Lowest
Progression after S6
Well that's the end of it, they've harboured you for six years and now they don't want you anymore. That's the end of your school life...but keep your chin up! From here you can go onto college, or even University, and if it so pleases you, onto the world of work.
New Qualifications
In 2015/2016, Advanced Highers will be replaced by the new, revised Advanced Higher course. This, like with Higher, just involves revision of the course structure.
------------------------------
That's all there is to say about Scottish Qualifications at the moment, there has been some information released about Nat 4 and Nat 5 qualifications, and very little for the new Higher. I'll create a section talking about the changes that are to come once more information has been released, and create a new thread altogether when the changes come to fruition and this thread is defunct.
All feedback and criticism is welcome, if I've missed anything or you feel anything needs to be elaborated on, say it, I'll be more than happy to hear it. If there are sufficient questions, I might create a separate FAQ thread. Thanks for reading!
(edited 12 years ago)
Scroll to see replies
A TL;DR version:
Secondary School
S1 to S6 or First to Sixth year. S1s are 11 or 12 depending on their Birthday (cut off point for youngest is they must be 12 by the end of February of S1).
Can leave after S4 if you are 16 by that August, or at Christmas if not. From then on its a choice to stay on for S5 or S6. Pupils can go from the end of S5 to university - some aged just 16.
Quals:
S1-2 Study at a level equilivant to Access 3 in a range of subjects - no/limited chance to choose subjects
S3-4 GCSE equilivant - Standard Grades (Foundation, General , Credit) or Intermediate 1 (General level) or 2 (Credit level), normally in 8 subjects including Maths and English. Standard Grades are graded from 1 to 7 where 1 and 2 - Credit, 3 and 4 - General, 5 and 6 - Foundation. Int 2s are graded A to D then No Award, where D and No Awards are fails.
S5 Int 2s or Highers - most schools expect you to sit 5 subjects. If you have a Credit Standard Grade or Int 2 you can sit Higher, if you would like to study a subject but haven't achieved that level you can opt to do an Int 2. Roughly equilivant to AS level. Graded graded A to D then No Award, where D and No Awards are fails. There are 2 bands within each grade but these have no real importance apart from at a few English universities.
S6 Highers and Advanced Highers (and Int 2s if trying something new and don't want to "crash" Higher). The timetable will probably still allow for the study of 5 subjects but due to other oportunities in S6 and the difficulty of AHs it is usual to do 3 AHs or 2 Highers and 2 AHs (or any other combination of 4 subjects). It is still quite rare for people to sit 3 AHs + 1 Higher, 4 AHs or even rarer 5AHs. Normally AHs are seen to be on a par with or slightly harder than A2s.
Normally for Scottish and for a few English universities Highers are the entry qualification. Exceptions for Scottish universities include Vet Med and 2nd year entry. For Medicine you are not considered for entry from S5 and in some cases conditions may be set on your S6 subjects - most universities expect the study of at least 3 subjects in S6.
Secondary School
S1 to S6 or First to Sixth year. S1s are 11 or 12 depending on their Birthday (cut off point for youngest is they must be 12 by the end of February of S1).
Can leave after S4 if you are 16 by that August, or at Christmas if not. From then on its a choice to stay on for S5 or S6. Pupils can go from the end of S5 to university - some aged just 16.
Quals:
S1-2 Study at a level equilivant to Access 3 in a range of subjects - no/limited chance to choose subjects
S3-4 GCSE equilivant - Standard Grades (Foundation, General , Credit) or Intermediate 1 (General level) or 2 (Credit level), normally in 8 subjects including Maths and English. Standard Grades are graded from 1 to 7 where 1 and 2 - Credit, 3 and 4 - General, 5 and 6 - Foundation. Int 2s are graded A to D then No Award, where D and No Awards are fails.
S5 Int 2s or Highers - most schools expect you to sit 5 subjects. If you have a Credit Standard Grade or Int 2 you can sit Higher, if you would like to study a subject but haven't achieved that level you can opt to do an Int 2. Roughly equilivant to AS level. Graded graded A to D then No Award, where D and No Awards are fails. There are 2 bands within each grade but these have no real importance apart from at a few English universities.
S6 Highers and Advanced Highers (and Int 2s if trying something new and don't want to "crash" Higher). The timetable will probably still allow for the study of 5 subjects but due to other oportunities in S6 and the difficulty of AHs it is usual to do 3 AHs or 2 Highers and 2 AHs (or any other combination of 4 subjects). It is still quite rare for people to sit 3 AHs + 1 Higher, 4 AHs or even rarer 5AHs. Normally AHs are seen to be on a par with or slightly harder than A2s.
Normally for Scottish and for a few English universities Highers are the entry qualification. Exceptions for Scottish universities include Vet Med and 2nd year entry. For Medicine you are not considered for entry from S5 and in some cases conditions may be set on your S6 subjects - most universities expect the study of at least 3 subjects in S6.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Hype en Ecosse
Higher level qualifications are awarded A, B, C, D or Fail. Some Highers are awarded on the basis of pass/fail, but these are few and far between. Furthermore, these grades are split up into "bands"
Why is everyone on this forum obsessed with bands? They mean zilch and they're not awarded as a grade, so pointless.
Original post by ENNGUF
Why is everyone on this forum obsessed with bands? They mean zilch and they're not awarded as a grade, so pointless.
Some university offers are dependant on them. I know of someone who got an offer from Cambridge of A1A1A2 (plus STEP) at AH, so it's not as if they're pointless as you say.
Original post by davidmarsh01
Some university offers are dependant on them. I know of someone who got an offer from Cambridge of A1A1A2 (plus STEP) at AH, so it's not as if they're pointless as you say.
Yeah, pretty much a couple of English universities, for a few of their courses give conditionals on the basis of bands which probably represent 0.01% of Scottish students...so yes, still pointless.
Original post by ENNGUF
Why is everyone on this forum obsessed with bands? They mean zilch and they're not awarded as a grade, so pointless.
I get this from my mates all the time, like the other poster says. Sometimes Universities ask for an A1 in a certain subject.
As far as how much they mean, it's personal to me. I aim to do my best in every single thing I do, I like to have something to show for that. I'm a competitive person by nature, and will always aim for the higher level of attainment, sure bands are pointless, but do you not agree that the person that got 90%+ has a reason to be proud, even if it doesn't matter as long as he gets an A?
Original post by Hype en Ecosse
I get this from my mates all the time, like the other poster says. Sometimes Universities ask for an A1 in a certain subject.
As far as how much they mean, it's personal to me. I aim to do my best in every single thing I do, I like to have something to show for that. I'm a competitive person by nature, and will always aim for the higher level of attainment, sure bands are pointless, but do you not agree that the person that got 90%+ has a reason to be proud, even if it doesn't matter as long as he gets an A?
As far as how much they mean, it's personal to me. I aim to do my best in every single thing I do, I like to have something to show for that. I'm a competitive person by nature, and will always aim for the higher level of attainment, sure bands are pointless, but do you not agree that the person that got 90%+ has a reason to be proud, even if it doesn't matter as long as he gets an A?
I think some people just like to know? Nothing wrong with that.Original post by Hype en Ecosse
As far as how much they mean, it's personal to me. I aim to do my best in every single thing I do, I like to have something to show for that. I'm a competitive person by nature, and will always aim for the higher level of attainment, sure bands are pointless, but do you not agree that the person that got 90%+ has a reason to be proud, even if it doesn't matter as long as he gets an A?
I think if someone got 100% in their exam, she'd want to know... so why have grades when we could just have our percentages printed instead? Everyone has a reason to feel proud if they achieve their best. An A doesn't entitle someone to feel more proud than someone who got a C.
Fantastic post I love how you've described everything really well. I do have two points for improvement though!
National 4 and 5 (replacing Standard Grade and Intermediates) will only be done in one year as it's a one year course, and it will only be done in S4, therefore S1 - S3 are basically the non-qualification years.
Moreover, maybe you should explain how one gets each band?
For example:
A1 = 85%+
A2 = 70% - 84%
B3 = 65% - 69%
B4 = 60% - 64%
C5 = 55% - 59%
C6 = 50% - 54%
D7 = 46% - 49%
No award = 0% - 45%
Again, great post! I commend you, sir/madam
I love how you've described everything really well. I do have two points for improvement though!National 4 and 5 (replacing Standard Grade and Intermediates) will only be done in one year as it's a one year course, and it will only be done in S4, therefore S1 - S3 are basically the non-qualification years.
Moreover, maybe you should explain how one gets each band?
For example:
A1 = 85%+
A2 = 70% - 84%
B3 = 65% - 69%
B4 = 60% - 64%
C5 = 55% - 59%
C6 = 50% - 54%
D7 = 46% - 49%
No award = 0% - 45%
Again, great post! I commend you, sir/madam
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Quick-use
Fantastic post I love how you've described everything really well. I do have two points for improvement though!
National 4 and 5 (replacing Standard Grade and Intermediates) will only be done in one year as it's a one year course, and it will only be done in S4, therefore S1 - S3 are basically the non-qualification years.
Moreover, maybe you should explain how one gets each band?
For example:
A1 = 85%+
A2 = 70% - 84%
B3 = 65% - 69%
B4 = 60% - 64%
C5 = 55% - 59%
C6 = 50% - 54%
D7 = 46% - 49%
No award = 0% - 45%
Again, great post! I commend you, sir/madam
I love how you've described everything really well. I do have two points for improvement though!National 4 and 5 (replacing Standard Grade and Intermediates) will only be done in one year as it's a one year course, and it will only be done in S4, therefore S1 - S3 are basically the non-qualification years.
Moreover, maybe you should explain how one gets each band?
For example:
A1 = 85%+
A2 = 70% - 84%
B3 = 65% - 69%
B4 = 60% - 64%
C5 = 55% - 59%
C6 = 50% - 54%
D7 = 46% - 49%
No award = 0% - 45%
Again, great post! I commend you, sir/madam
It should be stressed that those are just averages.. The SQA are ridiculous and move around the percentages for each subject each year, depending on how people did.
Original post by Quick-use
Fantastic post I love how you've described everything really well. I do have two points for improvement though!
National 4 and 5 (replacing Standard Grade and Intermediates) will only be done in one year as it's a one year course, and it will only be done in S4, therefore S1 - S3 are basically the non-qualification years.
Moreover, maybe you should explain how one gets each band?
For example:
A1 = 85%+
A2 = 70% - 84%
B3 = 65% - 69%
B4 = 60% - 64%
C5 = 55% - 59%
C6 = 50% - 54%
D7 = 46% - 49%
No award = 0% - 45%
Again, great post! I commend you, sir/madam
I love how you've described everything really well. I do have two points for improvement though!National 4 and 5 (replacing Standard Grade and Intermediates) will only be done in one year as it's a one year course, and it will only be done in S4, therefore S1 - S3 are basically the non-qualification years.
Moreover, maybe you should explain how one gets each band?
For example:
A1 = 85%+
A2 = 70% - 84%
B3 = 65% - 69%
B4 = 60% - 64%
C5 = 55% - 59%
C6 = 50% - 54%
D7 = 46% - 49%
No award = 0% - 45%
Again, great post! I commend you, sir/madam
Like the poster above said, the percentage required for a particular grade boundary depends on overall exam performance for that year. For example, Higher English 2011 had a grade boundary of 64% for an A2.
Like I said, I'm not going to include information on new qualifications until more has been released, no point making a half-arsed start. But thanks for the input regardless!
(edited 12 years ago)
Does thar school that offers all romance languages offer Romanian?
I thought not thanks anyway, it's helpful when I describe what I'm doing to my Scottish relatives
I thought not
thanks anyway, it's helpful when I describe what I'm doing to my Scottish relatives 
I don't know if this is still allowed, but I'm in S6 now and did Maths and English Highers over two years in S4/S5, and did Credit/Intermediate 2 in those subjects in S2/S3. Should this option be mentioned in the first post?
Original post by AspiringGenius
Does thar school that offers all romance languages offer Romanian?
I thought not thanks anyway, it's helpful when I describe what I'm doing to my Scottish relatives
I thought not
thanks anyway, it's helpful when I describe what I'm doing to my Scottish relatives Don't be a smart arse, read the post I said "almost all"
No need to get cheeky with me, lad.
Original post by TouchdownNiners
I don't know if this is still allowed, but I'm in S6 now and did Maths and English Highers over two years in S4/S5, and did Credit/Intermediate 2 in those subjects in S2/S3. Should this option be mentioned in the first post?
Yeah, I added it into the bit about S4 after TheRabbit reminded me of it. It's shortly before New Qualifications for that section.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by TheRabbit
Normally for Scottish and for a few English universities Highers are the entry qualification. Exceptions for Scottish universities include Vet Med, Medicine, and 2nd year entry.
Normally for Scottish and for a few English universities Highers are the entry qualification. Exceptions for Scottish universities include Vet Med, Medicine, and 2nd year entry.
Actually, I emailed the Scottish universities about Advanced highers regarding entry into medicine. All (apart from aberdeen) said that in 6th year, there is no disadvantage to doing highers as opposed to doing advanced highers. Whilst they do state that subjects such as advanced chemistry and advanced biology are preferred, not doing advanced highers does not put a student at a disadvantage in the application process. On the phone I pushed them a bit further and asked why some said in their prospectus' that X number of advanced highers or X advanced higher is preferred. They gave two reasons, firstly that whilst advanced highers don't actually help you get an offer (providing you do at least 3 subjects), you may find the knowledge/skills learned will help you once you start the course. Secondly, they said that they just wanted to make sure that in sixth year students don't slack off, and that advanced highers would be more similar to university level work. A bit strange, I know, but it means that you don't need to be pressured into doing Advanced higher chemistry, when another subject (e.g. higher psychology is of more interest.) Also, I don't think all school do advanced highers, so it would put pupils from worse off schools at a disadvantage if they weighted advanced highers properly. (In my opinion, they should make this clear, as the prospectus' lead you to think that they are necessary. And as I said before, this doesn't apply to Aberdeen, they give more credit to students doing at least 2 advanced highers and a higher
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by KCosmo
Actually, I emailed the Scottish universities about Advanced highers regarding entry into medicine. All (apart from aberdeen) said that in 6th year, there is no disadvantage to doing highers as opposed to doing advanced highers. Whilst they do state that subjects such as advanced chemistry and advanced biology are preferred, not doing advanced highers does not put a student at a disadvantage in the application process. On the phone I pushed them a bit further and asked why some said in their prospectus' that X number of advanced highers or X advanced higher is preferred. They gave two reasons, firstly that whilst advanced highers don't actually help you get an offer (providing you do at least 3 subjects), you may find the knowledge/skills learned will help you once you start the course. Secondly, they said that they just wanted to make sure that in sixth year students don't slack off, and that advanced highers would be more similar to university level work. A bit strange, I know, but it means that you don't need to be pressured into doing Advanced higher chemistry, when another subject (e.g. higher psychology is of more interest.) Also, I don't think all school do advanced highers, so it would put pupils from worse off schools at a disadvantage if they weighted advanced highers properly. (In my opinion, they should make this clear, as the prospectus' lead you to think that they are necessary. And as I said before, this doesn't apply to Aberdeen, they give more credit to students doing at least 2 advanced highers and a higher
Thats true actually - I was thinking from the point of view that entry after S5 is not possible but it makes the sentence misleading with regards to med. I would still encourage people to do AH chemistry and probably biology as it makes the biochemistry at the start easier.
Original post by TheRabbit
Thats true actually - I was thinking from the point of view that entry after S5 is not possible but it makes the sentence misleading with regards to med. I would still encourage people to do AH chemistry and probably biology as it makes the biochemistry at the start easier.
Definitely, and with medicine especially it's good to give yourself the best start that you can
Original post by KCosmo
Definitely, and with medicine especially it's good to give yourself the best start that you can
Do you think BB in AH chem and biology would be considered good enough or do you think they would prefer As
Original post by Anterior view
Do you think BB in AH chem and biology would be considered good enough or do you think they would prefer As
Depends on the application as a whole - the entry requirements are Highers so if you have met that then you're AHs are not of so much importance - are you applying with BB or is that predicted? Only Glasgow will give conditions on your S6 subjects if Higher reqs are already met - tend to be BBC.
In my opinion extra ciriculars and work experience are a big part of your application and are what matters if you have met the entry requirements.
Original post by Anterior view
Do you think BB in AH chem and biology would be considered good enough or do you think they would prefer As
Yeh, I don't think you'll have problems with those grades for Glasgow. They (and I think Aberdeen, I'm not sure though) said that they count advanced higher grades as one grade above Higher (i.e. a B in advanced chemistry would be an A at higher.) I know loads of people who are at Glasgow, the highest condition that was set for any of them was BBB, although I can't speak for everyone. I would guess that for other uni's you would be marked higher than someone with predicted AAA, as they like achieved grades way more I think
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Alternative offers on UCAS
- baccalaureate
- UCAS
- What's harder: GSCEs or Nationals?
- Moving to scotland as a english college student
- National 4 and 5 Scottish exams to be scrapped
- Law Oxford
- Do I want to go to Uni?
- Council tax
- Chances of getting in St Andrews for a Biology or Chemistry degree with a HNC/D?
- St Andrews 5 year VS England 4 year degrees
- GCSE or Functional skills maths for PDGE
- What to study?
- Scottish N5, Higher, and Advanced Higher Grades on the Common App
- Am I good or have I made a horrific mistake
- St Andrews Offers
- Guide: How To Appeal Your SQA Results 2023
- Aps
- SQA removed content in AH Maths for Uni Engineering
- Is glasgow uni good?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 8 hours ago
SQA Higher Physics - Paper 2 - 25th April 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 2 days ago
SQA Higher Mathematics - Paper 1 Non-calculator - 13th May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 3 days ago
SQA Nat 5 English - Critical Reading - 7th May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 1 week ago
SQA Higher English - Critical Reading - 9th May 2024 [Exam Chat]Trending
Last reply 8 hours ago
SQA Higher Physics - Paper 2 - 25th April 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 2 days ago
SQA Higher Mathematics - Paper 1 Non-calculator - 13th May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 3 days ago
SQA Nat 5 English - Critical Reading - 7th May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 1 week ago
SQA Higher English - Critical Reading - 9th May 2024 [Exam Chat]
