National Qualifications (NQs)

The National Qualifications 'family' consists of:

• Standard Grade
• National Units
• National Clusters
• National Courses
• Scottish Group Awards
• Skills for Work Courses

New National Quailfications are in development. These are called:

• National Certificates
• National Progression Awards

Codes

It is essential that you, and your subject departments, use the most up-to-date code numbers for our qualifications. You can check these on our website, on the NQ CD-ROM, or in the current catalogue.

Units have a '4' + '2' digit code that starts with a letter - usually 'D'.

Courses and Clusters have a '4' + '2' code that starts with a letter - usually 'C'.

• The '4' part of the code identifies the subject, eg C059 = French
• The '2' part of the code refers to the level of the Course, Cluster or Unit

National Courses are available at four levels:

Intermediate 1 - 10
Intermediate 2 - 11
Higher - 12
Advanced Higher - 13

So, C059 11 is the Course code for French at Intermediate 2 level.

National Clusters are only available at Access 2 and 3:

Access 2 - 08
Access 3 - 09

There are National Units at all levels, from Access 1 to Advanced Higher, but you should always check before making entries for Units and Courses because:

• Not all Units and Courses are available at every level.
• Some free-standing Units are 'unlevelled' - these are former Modules or Short Courses which have not been revised. The code 04 indicates that this is the case, eg Health and Exercise D1A3 04.

Standard Grade

Standard Grade is usually taken over two years by pupils in S3 and S4.

• Each subject has a '4' code (see Conditions and Arrangements).
• There are three levels: Foundation, General and Credit.
• Entries for most Standard Grades are made at two levels: Foundation/General (FG) for which the '2' code is 28, or General/Credit (GC) for which the '2' code is 30, eg Standard Grade English - code 0860; level FG = 28 or GC = 30.
• For some subjects, entries can be made at one level or at two levels, eg Standard Grade Maths - code 2500; Foundation = 27, FG = 28, General = 29, GC = 30 and Credit = 31.
• For Art & Design, entries are made at all three levels, ie Standard Grade Art & Design - code 0090; FGC = 32.

National Units

National Units can be taken as free-standing qualifications or as part of Courses or Group Awards. You can find the specifications for these Units on our website or the current National Qualifications CD-ROM.

National Units are internally-assessed, are subject to external verification, and are awarded on the basis of evidence of the successful attainment of all the Outcomes.

National Clusters

Clusters are groupings of National Units at Access 2 and Access 3. They are internally-assessed - there is no external assessment. Remember to enter candidates for the Cluster code as well as for the component Units to ensure they are certificated for the Cluster(s) they have achieved.

National Courses

National Courses are groupings of National Units (at Intermediate 1 level and above) which are internally-assessed. There is also an external assessment (often an exam) which completes the Course and determines the grade that the candidate receives.

Project-based National Courses

PBNCs are also available, mainly in vocational subjects. These Courses have the same design features as exam-based Courses, except that candidates have additional flexibility as the external assessment is carried out using projects that are not tied to a conventional exam diet. For further information, eg Key Dates, look at the Operational Help Centre.

Skills for Work Courses

Skills for Work Courses are groupings of National Units. These new National Courses encourage young people (from S3 upward) to become familiar with the world of work, by providing a variety of practical experiences linked to particular careers. They are currently being piloted and are only available to centres in the pilot, but will be available to all centres from session 2007/08. You can find out more in the Skills for Work section of our website (www.sqa.org.uk/skillsforwork).

Scottish Group Awards (SGAs)

SGAs are available at all levels from Access 2 to Advanced Higher, and can be completed in one year of full-time study or built up gradually over a longer period of time.

There are two types of SGA - named and general.

• Named SGAs, which have specific requirements in terms of subject content, are only available at Intermediate 2 and Higher levels.
• General SGAs allow flexibility to create programmes not covered by named SGAs and are available from Access 2 to Advanced Higher. Centres can create their own programmes. Since June 2004, these no longer need to be authorised by SQA.

Both types have to meet specifications relating to the number of National Courses and National Units required for the qualification. Write to our Approval Team (or e-mail: approval@sqa.org.uk) if you intend to offer a particular SGA for the first time.

All SGAs require candidates to achieve a pre-determined Core Skills profile as part of the Group Award requirements.

National Qualifications Group Awards (NQGAs) in development

The following types of NQGA are in development. You can find out more by reading the NQ Group Awards news item.

National Certificates

National Certificates will be available at all levels from Access 2 to Higher. They aim to develop a range of skills and knowledge, including transferable skills such as Core Skills. Each one also has specific aims relating to a subject or occupational area and is designed to prepare candidates for further progression.

They are primarily aimed at 16-18 year olds and adults in full-time education, normally at a college. They prepare candidates for more advanced study at HNC/HND level or for employment.

National Progression Awards (NPAs)

NPAs will be available at all levels from Access 2 to Higher. They are designed to assess a defined set of skills and knowledge in specialist vocational areas and link to National Occupational Standards - the basis of SVQs.

 

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