Scottish Qualifications

The Scottish Qualifications Certificate

The Scottish Qualifications Certificate (SQC) is the individual record of all a candidate's achievements, listing all units and courses achieved in any type of qualification awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The certificate is updated every time you achieve a new award.

Standard Grades 

Standard grades are only run in schools. There is a wide range of subjects and they are usually taken at the end of fourth year in secondary school (S4) following a two-year course.

They are assessed by coursework, projects and a final external exam, set and marked by the SQA. They can be studied at Credit, General and Foundation level and are awarded on a scale of 1-7 (1 being the highest):

Standard grades, or their equivalent, are the usual entry requirements for non-advanced courses in further education and most Modern Apprenticeships. They are placed in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) - see separate article on SCQF.

• Foundation level is at SCQF level 3
• General level is at SCQF level 4
• Credit level is at SCQF level 5.

For more information on Standard grade courses, see the National Qualifications section in School Zone on PlanIT Plus.

Skills for Work

Some schools offer Skills for Work courses. These are vocational courses for people aged 14-16. They give knowledge and skills to prepare for work - they include core skills as well as general skills for employability. Subjects include construction, hairdressing and hospitality.

These are National Qualifications, awarded at Access, Intermediate and Higher levels. (See below, National Qualifications, for further information.) They are placed in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at levels 3-6 - see the separate article on SCQF.

National Qualifications (NQs)

National Qualifications (NQs) can be the next stage in progression from Standard grades or Skills for Work. They are offered at several levels and can lead to further education, higher education or employment. They can be studied at school or college. You enter at a level depending on your Standard grade results. (In some schools, pupils can go into NQ courses without doing Standard grades.)

NQs usually consist of three National Units which are assessed internally and by an external exam set and marked by SQA. Some groups of National Units lead to qualifications called National Certificates (NCs). These are usually run full time at further education colleges.

There are National Qualifications in over 50 subjects, at five levels:

• Access 1,2,3
• Intermediate 1
• Intermediate 2
• Higher
• Advanced Higher.

When you successfully complete a course, you can progress to the next level.

Courses at Access 1, 2, and 3 are designed for students who have learning support needs. From an Access course you can go on to Intermediate 1,  Intermediate 2, then Higher. 

Highers and Advanced Highers are the usual entry requirements for higher education. Both take one year to complete and can give entry to any university in the UK.

NQs are awarded at grades A, B, C, or D. They are placed in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) - see the separate article on SCQF.

• Access 1, 2, 3 courses are at SCQF levels 1, 2, 3 respectively.
• Intermediate 1 and 2 are at SCQF levels 4 and 5 respectively.
• Standard grade Foundation is at SCQF level 3, General at level 4 and Credit at level 5.
• Higher and Advanced Higher are SCQF levels 6 and 7 respectively.   

Scottish Group Awards (SGAs)

A number of closely related National Units and National Qualifications may be combined to lead to a Scottish Group Award (SGA). These are available at all levels except Access 1 and may be studied full or part time. You could gain an SGA in one year of full time or build it up over a longer period of time.

Not everyone takes an SGA. You can achieve university entry requirements, by taking four unrelated Highers, without gaining an SGA.

For more information on NQs see the National Qualifications section in School Zone on PlanIT Plus.

Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs)

SVQs are workplace-based qualifications, designed to improve an employee's skills, by demonstrating competence in tasks needed for a specific job. There are SVQs for almost every job. They are available at five levels, from Level 1 for more routine jobs and tasks, to Level 5 for complex jobs with more responsibility and autonomy.

They are usually made up of 6-10 units. Most SVQ courses are part time, run at college for those in appropriate jobs. There are a few full time SVQs.

Modern Apprenticeships can lead to SVQ qualifications at Level 2, 3 or 4.

SVQs are placed in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) as follows:

For more information on SVQs see the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) website: http://www.sqa.org.uk/

Higher National Qualifications (HNCs and HNDs)

HNCs and HNDs are built up of HN Units. They are run in a wide range of subjects, by further education colleges, some institutions of higher education and some training centres. 

They can lead directly to work, often at higher technician or middle management level. They can also give entry to more advanced courses such as degrees or vocational courses such as Professional Development Awards (PDAs) (see below).

Higher National Units (HN Units)

HN Units combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills. Like National Units, you can take them as qualifications in their own right, or as HNCs or HNDs, which can be studied full or part time.

HNCs and HNDs are made up of HN Units. These Units also form the basis of PDAs. For an HNC you need 12-15 Units, for an HND about 30 Units.

Higher National Certificates (HNCs)

An HNC normally takes one year full time, or two years part time, attending college one day or two evenings a week. For entry you usually need 1–2 relevant Highers plus other Standard grades, or a relevant National Certificate (NC) or an appropriate group of National Qualification (NQ) Units.

With an HNC you will usually be able to get into Year 2 of an HND in a similar subject and you may be able to go into Year 1, or occasionally Year 2, of a degree.

Higher National Diplomas (HNDs)

An HND normally takes two years full time, or four years part time, attending college one day or two evenings a week. For entry you usually need 1–3 relevant Highers plus other Standard grades, or a relevant National Certificate (NC) or an appropriate group of National Qualification (NQ) Units.

With an HNC in the same subject you can complete an HND in one year full time or two years part time and you may be able to go into Year 2, or occasionally Year 3, of a degree.

For more information on HNC and HND courses see the SQA website: http://www.sqa.org.uk/

Professional Development Awards (PDAs)

Most PDAs are for people in work or looking for employment, who wish to extend their skills. They focus on specialist skills in a particular occupational area.

PDAs are run at different levels, linked to levels 6-12 of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) (see separate article on SCQF). PDA titles include reference to the SCQF level – eg PDA in Administrative Management at SCQF level 8. People taking the higher level PDAs normally have qualifications or considerable experience in their career area.

PDAs are made up of National Units or Higher National Units and workplace assessed units. Most are run part time, either at colleges or by employers. 

Degrees, Diplomas in Higher Education (DipHEs) and Certificates in Higher Education (CertHEs) are awarded by universities, as are postgraduate qualifications. These are not listed on your Scottish Qualifications Certificate, as they are not awarded by the SQA.

Cert HEs require one year's full time study. They are usually equivalent to the first year of a degree and may give direct entry to Year 2 of a degree course in an appropriate subject. For entry you usually need 1-2 Highers and some Standard grades, or a relevant Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ), National Qualification (NQ) or National Certificate (NC). 

DipHE courses usually require two years' full time study, but DipHEs in Nursing subjects require three years full time. A DipHE in many subjects is equivalent to the second year of a degree course and may give direct entry to Year 3 of a degree course in an appropriate subject. For entry you usually need 1-3 Highers and some Standard grades, or possibly a relevant Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ), National Qualification (NQ) or National Certificate (NC).  

Degree courses require 3 years' full time study for an Ordinary, Pass or General degree, 4 years' full time for an Honours degree and longer for a degree in Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, the MEng in Engineering and some other degrees such as MPhys or MChem. For entry you usually need 3-5 Highers, depending on the institution and the subject to be studied.

You can progress to a degree from other qualifications such as HNC or HND. With a relevant HNC you may get into Year 1, or possibly Year 2. With a relevant HND you may get into Year 2, or possibly Year 3.

Some colleges of further education have formal ‘articulation’ arrangements with universities or institutes of higher education. These link specific HNC or HND courses to a particular level of entry into a particular degree course.

Taught courses leading to Postgraduate Diplomas normally take 9 months full time, for a Masters degree, 12 months full time. Many postgraduate courses are run part time. For entry you usually need an appropriate degree, or sometimes an HND.

Higher degrees, such as MSc, MPhil and PhD by research are also run by most universities and some colleges.

Useful website

Scottish Qualifications Authority: http://www.sqa.org.uk/