Examination System
How the Scottish Exam system works
The Scottish public examination system is administered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). It corresponds to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in England and Wales and SQA exams are recognised for entrance to all universities in the UK.
Standard Grades, Intermediate, Higher and Advanced Higher
Standard Grade or Intermediate level exams are usually taken in the fourth year of secondary school. They cover a wide range of subjects across the curriculum and are broadly equivalent to GCSEs in England. In fifth and sixth year, students usually follow a two year programme at Higher and Advanced Higher level. Academic and vocational subjects are offered, providing breadth and depth of study. In sixth year, pupils can improve on their Highers, take more, or progress to Advanced Higher in selected subjects. The independent sector in Scotland offers a particularly diverse range of subjects at Advanced Higher level.
AS and A levels and the International Baccalaureate
Some schools, mainly the boarding schools, follow the English curriculum with GCSEs, AS and A Levels awarded by exam boards in England. Some other schools offer a combination of English AS and A Levels and Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, based on what they believ provides the best course of study for their students.
A small number of independent schools in Scotland now offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) while others are considering its merits. The IB is designed to develop a broad range of skills. Students take six subjects for two years and study Maths, Science, a language (ancient or modern) and a social subject. They follow a course in the Theory of Knowledge, undertake a programme of Creativity, Action and Service and write a 4000 word essay on a subject of their choice.
Please see the PDFs on the right which list the qualifications offered by each school.
Scottish and English qualifications - equivalent stages
The table, below, sets out the key stages of the Scottish qualifications system and the broadly equivalent stages in England.
| Age | Scotland | England |
|---|---|---|
| 14/15 | Secondary 3 Standard Grade | 4th year GCSE |
| 15/16 | Secondary 4 Intermediate 1 & 2 | 5th Year GCSE |
| 16/17 | Secondary 5 Highers | Lower 6th AS |
| 17/18 | Secondary 6 Advanced Highers | Upper 6th A2 |
Qualifications in Special Schools
All independent, special schools in membership of SCIS offer qualifications awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) including Standard Grade, Intermediate, Access, Higher and Advanced Higher. Some also offer additional, specialist qualifications such as ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network), CACPD (Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People) and BSL (British Sign Language). A list showing the qualifications offered at each special school is included in a PDF, on the right. Please also see the Special Schools page of this website.