Qualifications reform - research
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These reports detail findings to emerge from the second phase of a programme of Reform Tracking Research, undertaken in February and March 2026. The research was undertaken amongst learners in S4 to S6, their parents and carers, education professionals in schools and colleges and employers (particularly individuals with training or HR responsibilities).
The purpose of the research was to hear about each group’s views on the reform of qualifications and assessment, together with a range of other issues.
NQ and Non-National Course qualification reform report
This report details findings to emerge from two pieces of qualitative research – the reform of National 4 and National 5 qualifications and the reform of non-National Course qualifications, including what new qualifications might be needed.
The focus groups involved learners who were currently studying National 4 and/or National 5 qualifications, or who had recent experience of doing so, learners who were either taking or had taken courses such as National Progression Awards, Skills for Work and Awards, which are available in the senior phase and learners who had not taken these type of qualifications. The educators interviewed were a mix of those currently teaching National 4 and/or National 5 courses, or had recently done so, were delivering or had delivered non-National Course qualifications, as well as those who were making decisions about what was offered in schools and who designed school timetables.
Non-National Course qualifications reform report
This report details findings to emerge from qualitative research on issues relating to the reform of non-National Course qualifications, including what new qualifications might be needed.
The focus groups were undertaken amongst learners who had taken or were taking non-National Course qualifications available in the senior phase and learners who were only doing National Courses. The school educators interviewed were delivering or had delivered non-National Course qualifications and/or were responsible for making decisions about what was offered in schools and/or were responsible for designing school timetables.
NQ reform research report
This report details findings to emerge from qualitative research which focused on the possible reform of National 4 and National 5 qualifications. Focus groups were undertaken with learners in S4 to S6 who were currently studying National 4 and/or National 5 qualifications, or who had recent experience of doing so. Interviews were also undertaken with educators.
- NQ reform research report (496 KB)
Why did we do this research?
Scotland is reviewing how its qualifications are designed. Course specifications (the documents that explain what learners study and how they are assessed) are an important part of this. This research looks at how other countries design their course specifications, to see what works well and what Scotland might learn from them.
What are we trying to find out?
- What information course specifications usually include
- How different countries organise and present this information
- How Scotland’s approach compares to others
- How curriculum and assessment systems affect specification design
- What makes specifications clear, useful, and effective
How did we do the research?
We compared course specifications in English, Mathematics, Geography, and Physical Education across several jurisdictions (Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Canada, Estonia, Australia, and New Zealand). We looked at how these documents are structured, what they include, and how they are used.
What did we learn?
- Most course specifications include similar core elements, like learning goals, subject content, and assessment information
- However, they vary a lot in length, detail, and format
- In some countries, assessment is a big focus; in others, teachers have more freedom to design assessments
- Some systems use one main document, while others spread information across multiple resources
- Skills like communication and problem-solving are included in most systems, but in different ways
- Many countries are moving towards digital, flexible formats rather than long paper documents
What will change because of the research?
This research will help us improve Scotland’s course specifications by ensuring they are clear, easy to use, and aligned with future changes to qualifications and assessment.
Why did we do this research?
Before SQA became Qualifications Scotland, we asked members of the Your Voice panels what they wanted the new organisation to do differently. The research aimed to understand what changes stakeholders thought should be a priority and how we could build better relationships with them. It also helped us develop the Your Voice panels as groups of stakeholders who could take part in future research.
What are we trying to find out?
- What changes did respondents want to see from Qualifications Scotland?
- How did respondents want us to work and communicate with them?
- What could we do to build trust and better meet their needs?
How did we do the research?
We sent four short surveys to members of the Your Voice panels between March and May 2025. The surveys received between 295 and 700 responses each from educators, learners, and parents and carers. The people who took part were members of the Your Voice panels and may not represent the views of all stakeholders. Learners were not included in the final two surveys because these took place during the exam period.
What did we learn?
- Across all three groups, respondents raised concerns about exam pressure and the way learners are assessed. Many wanted a better balance between exams and other forms of assessment.
- Educators, learners, and parents and carers all said they wanted to be involved more in decisions that affect them. They wanted engagement to happen early enough for their views to influence decisions, rather than after decisions had already been made.
- Educators wanted clearer and more useful course materials, websites and training. Learners and parents and carers wanted better resources to support learning, revision, and exam preparation.
- Educators and parents and carers said that some qualifications and courses needed to change to better meet the needs of learners and the changing world of work. Educators also wanted enough notice and time to prepare when changes are made.
- Educators and parents and carers called for more frequent and timely information provided in plain language. They wanted to understand what was changing, why it was changing and how their views had been considered.
What will change because of the research?
The findings provide useful insight into the issues that some members of the Your Voice panels wanted us to consider. They can help inform future research, stakeholder engagement, and the development of qualifications, assessment, resources, and communication.
- Your Voice Panel Research report (216 KB)
Why did we do this research?
We are reviewing and changing qualifications to make sure they meet the needs of learners, educators, employers, and wider society. Before the next stage of this work, we wanted to hear what people think is working well and what needs to change. This early engagement was designed to identify common views and important issues to explore further.
What are we trying to find out?
- What do learners and educators think about the current qualifications system?
- What changes could make qualifications more flexible, relevant and accessible?
- How could assessment better recognise what learners know and can do? • What could be done to improve vocational learning and opportunities for work experience?
- How can future qualifications provide fair and clear pathways into further learning and employment?
How did we do the research?
We carried out workshops and engagement activities with learners and educators during spring 2026. This included visits to five secondary schools and educator engagement through school workshops and national events. Because this was early, exploratory engagement, it was not a representative study. The findings show the views of the people who took part but not necessarily the views of the wider population.
What did we learn?
- Participants highlighted the need for a more balanced approach to assessment. There was concern about the pressure of exams and the amount of course content, alongside strong support for a greater mix of assessment methods.
- Participants expressed interest in more flexible and modular qualifications. They thought that breaking learning into smaller parts and using different assessment methods could make qualifications more manageable, accessible, and flexible. However, they noted that flexibility needs to be balanced with fairness, consistency, and confidence in assessment.
- Participants highlighted the need for future qualifications to support different learners, pathways, and circumstances. They emphasised the importance of qualifications that provide clear routes into further learning, employment, and careers, while recognising that learners have different needs, opportunities, and access to provision.
What will change because of the research?
The findings will help us plan the next stage of qualifications reform and decide what questions need to be explored in more detail. Further engagement with a wider range of learners, educators and other stakeholders is planned. The findings suggest that future qualifications should aim to be more flexible, relevant and manageable, while still being fair, consistent, and trusted. Vocational learning and work-based opportunities should also be better supported and recognised.
Why did we produce this report?
This report forms part of a wider programme of work exploring early thinking around the future reform and modularisation of National Qualifications at SCQF levels 4 and 5. It brings together evidence, historical analysis and practitioner perspectives on the development, implementation and operation of National Qualifications at these levels across different phases of Scottish education reform.
What are we trying to find out?
The report examines both current and legacy qualifications, including Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 and 2 qualifications, National 4 and National 5, to identify recurring themes, strengths and areas of challenge in qualification design and delivery. It focuses particularly on the implementation of National 4 and National 5, grading approaches, mechanisms for recognising positive achievement, presentation strategies, dual entry patterns, and progression between curriculum levels and learner pathways.
The purpose of the report is not to advocate for a particular model of qualification reform, but to support informed discussion and evidence-based decision-making. By examining how different qualification structures and assessment approaches have operated over time, the report aims to contribute to ongoing consideration of how future National Qualifications at SCQF levels 4 and 5 can best support learners, practitioners and the wider education system.
How did we gather the information?
The report uses secondary research, such as historical data, research and other sources, which are referenced throughout.
What did we learn?
- There is a complexity involved in designing qualifications at SCQF levels 4 and 5 that successfully balance credibility, progression, inclusion, manageability and recognition of learner achievement.
- Across successive generations of Scottish qualifications - from Standard Grade and Higher Still to National 4 and National 5 - recurring tensions can be identified between flexibility and consistency, internal and external assessment, breadth and depth of learning, and the competing demands of progression, certification and accountability.
- There are concerns around progression from the broad general education (BGE) into the senior phase, articulation between National 4 and National 5, the impact of assessment design on learner experience, and the consequences of presentation strategies and dual entry practices for teacher workload and learner outcomes.
- Aspects of qualification design have been valued by practitioners and learners, including opportunities for flexible progression pathways, recognition of positive achievement and differentiated approaches to assessment.
- Qualification design cannot be considered in isolation from wider system factors. Curriculum alignment, accountability measures, assessment practices, practitioner understanding, vocational pathways and broader policy priorities all shape how qualifications are experienced in practice.
What will change because of the report?
As discussions continue regarding the future of Scottish qualifications, the historical and contemporary evidence outlined in this report provides an important basis for reflection. Consideration of both the strengths and limitations of legacy and current models will be essential in supporting the development of qualifications that are credible, inclusive and capable of supporting progression for the full range of learners.
Why did we produce this report?
This report forms part of a series of publications exploring early thinking around the reform of National Qualifications at SCQF levels 4 and 5, which includes the potential modularisation of courses.
What are we trying to find out?
The report aims to inform thinking and consider how elements of different international systems might influence the design of reformed National Qualifications. The jurisdictions covered take a modular approach to their senior-phase qualifications, have recently undergone or are in the process of reform, and have a relatively small population. Most are high performing in international educational rankings. They are Wales, New Zealand, Estonia, New South Wales (Australia) and British Columbia (Canada).
How did we gather the information?
Desk research and the development of case studies.
What did we learn?
The jurisdictions examined demonstrate a range of approaches to the design of qualifications for learners broadly equivalent to those at SCQF levels 4 and 5. While each system reflects its own national context, several common themes emerge, including greater use of internal and digital assessment, flexible approaches to progression and certification, and an enhanced focus on skills, competences and learner choice.
The study illustrates the variety of ways in which qualifications systems seek to balance consistency, flexibility, breadth and progression.
What will change because of the report?
The findings in this report will support ongoing discussion and reflection about the future design and reform of National Qualifications at SCQF levels 4 and 5 in Scotland.
Why did we produce this report?
This report has been developed in the context of a series of recent independent reviews and reports on the Scottish education system, which were developed in response to the OECD’s independent review of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence in 2021.
One of the recommendations from these reviews were proposals to explore more modular approaches to qualifications as part of wider qualification reform. Such proposals have prompted further discussion about how modularisation might operate in Scotland’s senior-phase qualifications system, and the implications this might have for approaches to assessment, grading and certification.
What are we trying to find out?
This report aims to explore the potential benefits and challenges of grading modules in senior-phase National Courses by examining various models, with a view to informing potential approaches to awarding that support internally- and externally assessed graded components.
How did we gather the information?
The report includes analysis of how various grading models in the senior-phase of schools in Scotland at SCQF levels 4 and 5 work, currently and historically. It also considers international models, including in Wales, New Zealand and Australia. The report does not consider vocational qualifications.
What did we learn?
The analysis highlights that, while modular and graded approaches can provide richer information about learner achievement and enhance the flexibility of certification, they also introduce significant challenges in relation to workload, standardisation, and the maintenance of consistent national standards.
Modularisation and the potential role of graded components in future qualifications is being discussed as part of the Scottish Government’s education reform programme. The evidence in this report suggests that any movement towards such a model will require careful balancing of validity, reliability, and practicability, alongside strong national support for assessment literacy, moderation, and system-wide coherence.
What will change because of the report?
The findings of this work will form part of the considerations of the qualifications reform programme, which will include input from learners, practitioners, parents/carers and representative national bodies, such as teaching unions and professional associations.
Why did we produce this report?
This report has been developed following the recent reviews of Scottish qualifications and assessments, which made recommendations for exploring a modular approach to qualifications as part of a wider programme of educational reform. Modular systems used in other jurisdictions – New South Wales (Australia), British Columbia (Canada), New Zealand, Estonia, and Wales – were studied to provide additional insight.
What are we trying to find out?
The purpose of this report is to support informed discussion and evidence-based decision making on potential approaches. By examining how different systems have operated over time, the report aims to contribute to ongoing consideration of how future National Qualifications can best support learners, practitioners, and the wider education system.
How did we gather the information?
Historical data and research was used to examine the Scottish context along with other sources. The research included a literature review to provide a contextual understanding of the educational systems of the selected five jurisdictions.
What did we learn?
The evidence suggests that the success of any potential future modular approach is likely to depend on the design of the wider qualification system. Key considerations include the size and structure of modules, the balance between internal and external assessment, the clarity of standards and progression pathways, the effectiveness of quality assurance arrangements, and the extent to which digital systems can support delivery, assessment and moderation.
The Scottish and international evidence therefore provides valuable considerations for future qualification reform.
What will change because of the report?
The findings in this report will support ongoing discussion and reflection about the future design and reform of qualifications in Scotland.
In 2021, the OECD published an extensive review of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and a working paper on assessment in the Senior Phase by Prof. Gordon Stobart. We provided OECD with the following report to inform their reviews:
Further work, addressing issues raised by the OECD review in depth underpinned our response to Professor Muir’s review of education reform (5 KB):
- A comparison of international educational structures (211.19 MB), considering the implications of these findings for reviewing Scotland’s structures.
- Research with education experts and teachers (211.19 MB) examining whether the intentions of CfE align with graded National Courses.
Professor Muir’s subsequent report, Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education, was published by the Scottish Government in 2022 and references the research.
This research was also shared with Professor Louise Hayward as she began her Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment (IRQA). To further contribute towards the IRQA, We then conducted a comparative study which compares internal assessment practices in high-performing jurisdictions and considers the implications of the findings for Scotland in finding a balance between internal and external assessment.
- Internal Assessment Comparative Study Report (211.19 MB)