Moving to Scotland after year 12 in England

m.mostafa1542006

So my family and I are planning on moving out to Scotland after finishing my As levels. I have come to realize the Scottish academic system way too well. I know I cannot apply to uni anywhere in the UK with my As levels. So does this mean I'll have to be held a year back? like instead of entering S6, I should redo S5 which is year 12 in England because I am aiming for medicine. Therefore, this means I require 5 Highers to be done in s5 and 3 Advanced Highers in S6. Is that correct?

Reply 1

LeapingLucy

The Scottish system is, as you say, different.

They do their important exams in S5 (Year 12) - and lots leave school at the end of S5 to start university at the age of 17.

I expect the best option for you would therefore be to go into S5, take 4 highers, and then leave for university. You wouldn’t need to do S6 too, so you’ll still finish school at 18.

However, this seems like a very strange choice to make, and not the best option for your education. You’ll have to switch to a completely different educational system and different exam boards/curriculums for your subjects. Finishing your A-levels in England would be a lot more logical - can your family not wait one more year before moving to Scotland?

Reply 2

Zesty lemon

Original post by m.mostafa1542006

Depending on what subjects you did for AS levels you may be able to skip to the AH, it would be worth talking to your school.
I would also say phone the uni’s you want to go too get there opinions. When I was doing my Nat 5s there was a Ukrainian girl who due to missing a year of schooling would have been doing highers but instead Nat 5’s and managed to get into medicine :smile:

Reply 3

imxa6

Study Forum Helper

Hi! I'm quite experienced in this, so I should be able to help. For medicine in Scottish universities, you need 5 A's at Higher and 2 B's minimum at Advanced Highers. Advanced Highers are a bit harder than A Levels, whereas Highers are kind of in the middle of AS and A Levels. If you've done AS, you might want to contact the school you are considering moving to to ask if you can take Advanced Highers. However, the best option would be to do Highers, then Advanced Highers because the Scottish system is very different to the English system; the content covered and the questions style in exams is different, considerably harder for English pupils because of the unfamiliarity.