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do some scottish schools do A levels in 5th year?

someone i know has a son in 5th year doing highers.
they asked what year i'm in. i said 5th.
they said so is that highers, or a levels? i said highers.

did they think i might have been moved ahead (thinking a levels were the standard 6th year qualification, rather than AH) or are there schools in scotland where A levels are sat in 5th year?

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Reply 1

crazylemonsqueezy

i think they meant A levels as in the two years (so the first year which would be AS year), strathallen and st georges do A-levels though

Reply 2

Leibniz

There are some school is Scotland that do A-levels, afaik its only private schools , could be wrong though.

Ermm. I hope not :s

I think I'd heard about glenalmond doing A level english, but not sure if it's in 5th or 6th year that they complete the full thing.
It shouldn't be a concern I know, but the reason I ask is that this person seems quite impressed with how quickly I'm progressing at something they're teaching me. So I'm worried they assumed I was some sort of genius, and I let them down...shouldn't be a worry I know.

Reply 5

TheUnbeliever

Fettes do the 'English' system, or IB. Edinburgh Academy can mix and match, to the best of my knowledge.

Reply 6

vickiii

Never heard of that :s-smilie:

I know that some schools definitely do them in 6th year though.

Reply 7

Jamin

There are some private schools that do A levels instead of highers, i know of one private boarding school Strathallan i think does it.

Reply 8

Meteorshower

I can never understand why places do A-levels instead of highers/advanced highers.

IB possibly, but A-levels?? XD

Reply 9

vickiii

I think its for people applying to English unis, maybe they feel as its the English qualification it will give them a better chance? not sure lol

Reply 10

Danielle89

Hrm, I prefer the highers/advanced highers system tbh. After doing my advanced sciences I had the knowledge to easily get through first year of my degree, whereas a couple of the english students who had done A-Levels didnt have as much of that and so had to learn it for the first time

Reply 11

FTC199

Meteorshower

I can never understand why places do A-levels instead of highers/advanced highers.

IB possibly, but A-levels?? XD

i know, it is saddening to think that these schools consider A-levels to be anywhere near the standard of AH :p:

Reply 12

TheUnbeliever

Oh, and my school offers AS-level Film Studies and A-Level art (both in 6th year only).

Reply 13

FTC199

TheUnbeliever

Oh, and my school offers AS-level Film Studies and A-Level art (both in 6th year only).

my old school offered AS and A-level art (because they have had a lot of problems with higher and advanced higher in the past) and AS level music alongside AH in 5th year and then A-level in 6th year for the people who do really well at int 2 because they could skip higher

Reply 14

sweetdarling

a girl i knew was doing alevels at college, but i wasn't aware of it happening in schools (although now i see that some schools do)

of course i can't fully comment because i havn't sat alevels, but i like the scottish system tbh!

Reply 15

Meteorshower

Now that I actually think about it I can see a point in doing them for some of the more obscure ones because there isn't that great a breadth in different AH's obviously because of demand. And there are many more resources avaliable for A levels.

Reply 16

pamelaa

I think it's abit unfair they get resits though and we don't. :/ Some english students don't get the grades to get into medical school once they've start their a levels, but with resits can get in! If you don't get mostly 5 a's at higher in 5th year for medical school in scotland you're ******.

Reply 17

Meteorshower

^^ Definitely true. Highers are pretty brutal for prospective medics. That said, it does in most cases, assure a certain level of commitment.

Reply 18

namedeprived

Yea i'm almost certain they do A levels at Glenalmond , though I don't really see why.

Reply 19

Pepperoni

I know somebody with 5 A's at Higher and still had to get another A at Higher, plus Advanced Chem. Ugghh.
A school in my town (St Andrews) does A-Levels instead of Highers and a girl I know is taking A2 Art, the only A Level instead of higher at her school.