Our Qualifications

Student at PC. We develop and maintain our qualifications in partnership with education, industry, and government to ensure that they are relevant and fit for purpose.

People take our qualifications at all stages of their lives: at school, at college, at work, and in their leisure time.

There are three main types of qualifications:

Units
Courses
Group Awards

We develop and maintain our qualifications in partnership with education, industry, and government to ensure that they are relevant and fit for purpose.

People take our qualifications at all stages of their lives: at school, at college, at work, and in their leisure time.

Units

Most Units are designed to take 40 hours of teaching time to complete and candidates are expected to do some additional work on their own. You achieve a Unit by passing an assessment - coursework, tests, or practical work marked by the teacher, lecturer or trainer. The marking is then checked by SQA.

The number of SCQF credit points shown how much learning has to be done to achieve the Unit. (For an explanation of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), see section 'How our qualifications work'.)

The SCQF level of a Unit shows how difficult it is. There are 12 levels in the SCQF, level 1 being the least difficult and level 12 the most difficult.

National Units

Nationa Units can be taken at schools, colleges, and in other training centres. There are more than 3,500 Units in a wide range of subjects such as Science, Engineering, Agriculture and Care.

National Units can be built up into National Courses, National Progression Awards (NPAs) and National Certificates (NC). Our names for the National Units at the various SCQF levels are:

level 1 - Access 1
level 2 - Access 2
level 3 - Access 3
level 4 - Intermediate 1
level 5 - Intermediate 2
level 6 - Higher
level 7 - Advanced Higher

At levels 2 to 6, each Unit is worth six SCQF credit points. At level 7, Units are worth eight points. (The details for level 1 have still to be decided.)

Higher National Units

Higher National Units are mainly taken at college. They are the building blocks of Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs), though they are also qualifications in their own right.

Higher National Units cover the skills and knowledge that people need in jobs at middle management and technician levels. These skills and knowledge are often also used for progression to courses in higher education.

The Units are given an official 'seal of quality' by SQA (we call this 'validation'). Colleges are closely involved in the development of the Units, and the Units have to conform to rigorous, published quality criteria.

HN Units have 8 SCQF credit points and can sit at various SCQF levels, but are normally between SCQF level 6 and 9.

SVQ Units

SCQ Units are based on national 'standards of competence' - properly called 'National Occupational Standards'. These are drawn up by government-sponsored bodies called 'sector skills councils', which are made up of trade bodies, employers, and specialists. There are sector skills councils for most industries.

Each SVQ Unit defines one aspect of a job or a work-role, and says what it is to be competent in that aspect of the job. To achieve a Unit, candidates have to produce evidence to show they are competent.

SVQ Units can be built into Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs). They are sometimes used in wider schemes, such as Modern Apprenticeships.

The SCQF credit points and level of an SVQ Unit will depend on the needs of the industry.

Courses

Standard Grades

Standard Grades are generally taken over two years of study in third and fourth year at secondary school. The Courses are made up of different parts called 'Elements', usually with an exam at the end. There are Standard Grades at SCQF levels 3, 4 and 5. Our names for these are:

level 3 - Foundation
level 4 - General
level 5 - Credit

A young person's attainments in their Standard Grades will often be used to guide their choice of what they study in the future. Generally, candidates progress from Standard Grades to National Courses.

National Courses

National Courses are available at these levels:

level 2 - Access 2
level 3 - Access 3
level 4 - Intermediate 1
level 5 - Intermediate 2
level 6 - Higher
level 7 - Advanced Higher

Most National Courses (except Access 2 and 3) are made up of three Units plus an external assessment - usually an examination. The purpose of the external assessment is to get candidates to show that they have mastered the Course content and can apply it to new situations. The examinations are marked and checked by professional examiners appointed by SQA. At Access 2 and 3 there is no external examination and candidates must pass all three Units to achieve the Course.

Candidates are awarded grades A - D, on the basis of how they did in their external assessment. They also have to pass all the Units. There is a comprehensive appeals system for candidates who do not perform as well as expected.

Most young people who qualify for places at college and university do so on the basis of the Highers and Advanced Highers.

Skills for Work Courses

Skills for Work Courses encourage school-age candidates to become familiar with the world of work. They develop knowledge and skills that are important to employment and life.

Skills for Work Courses offer candidates practical experiences that are linked to particular careers. They are normally delivered by a school and college working in partnership. The candidate gets an early taste of college and the chance to work on practical skills that are directly related to work, and this provides real benefits by offering positive learning experiences in a real-life situation.

Skills for Work Course are assessed by the teacher or lecturer, and have no final exam. Marking is checked by SQA.