INCA Education around the world
Scotland : Assessment arrangements
6.1 First phase: Pre-compulsory education, ages 3 - 5
6.2 Second phase: Compulsory primary education, ages 5 - 12
6.3 Third phase: Compulsory (lower) secondary education, ages 12 - 16
6.4 Fourth phase: Post-compulsory (upper) secondary education, ages 16 - 18+
Last reviewed and updated: 26-Jan-2012
Curriculum for Excellence reform
In November 2004, in the document 'A Curriculum for Excellence', the Scottish Government confirmed its intention to reform and simplify the curriculum to increase student choice and make learning more stimulating. The plan is to introduce more flexibility in the curriculum for 3- to 18-year-olds; improve student confidence and attainment by easing the difficulties of transitions; enable early professional intervention; reduce the burden of assessment; and clarify the purposes of education and the principles underpinning it at the beginning of the 21st century. 2 36 The Government has set in motion a programme of work, including reform of assessment procedures, part of the process of creating a single, coherent Scottish curriculum for the 3-18 age range.
The strategic vision for assessment was set out in the September 2009 document ‘Assessment for Curriculum for Excellence: strategic vision and key principles.’105
The aim of the new assessment practices is to support Curriculum for Excellence, and to give more autonomy and professional responsibility to teachers. There will be a greater focus on skills development with a national system for quality assurance and moderation for 3-18 year olds. Between the ages of 3-15, assessment will tie into the ‘experience and outcomes’ listed under the eight core subjects of the curriculum (see Chapter 5). A National Assessment Resource (NAR) was set up in 2010 and aims to help teachers achieve consistency and understanding.
Course rationales and specifications for new National Examinations, which replace the current qualifications available for students aged 15 to 18, are currently being drafted. Implementation will begin the 2013/2014 academic year. The full time scale for development and implementation is:
- 2009/10 and 2010/11 - new curriculum introduced
- 2012 - publication of new National Qualifcations at levels 4 & 5 (National 4 & National 5) and revised qualifications at levels 1-3 and 6 (Access and Higher)
- 2012/2013 - last Standard Grades and publication of revised qualifications level 7 (Advanced Higher)
- 2013/2014 - first new and revised qualifications at levels 1 to 5 (Access and National 4 and 5); ‘dual run’ with existing National Courses for Access, Intermediates
- 2014/2015 - first revised qualifications at level 6 (Higher); ‘dual run’ with existing National Courses for Access, Intermediates and Highers
- 2015/2016 - first revised qualifications at level 7 (Advanced Higher)
Drafts can be found on the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) website.
The table below lists the existing National Qualifications and shows how they equate to the new qualifications106:
| Current National Qualifications | New National Qualifications |
| Access 1 and Access 2 | Access 1 and Access 2 (revised) |
Access 3 Standard Grade (Foundation level) |
Access 3 (revised) |
Standard Grade (General level) Intermediate 1 |
National 4 |
Standard Grade (Credit level) Intermediate 2 |
National 5 |
| Higher | Higher (revised) |
| Advanced Higher | Advanced Higher (revised) |
Further detail will be added to the INCA archive as it becomes available.
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, SCQF
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is based on the Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) scheme, agreed by all Scottish higher education institutions and further education colleges in 1992. The SCQF is being progressed under the partnership of the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), and Universities Scotland. 2
The framework incorporates all mainstream Scottish qualifications from access level to doctorate level. It includes both academic and vocational qualifications provided in schools, institutions of further education, of higher education, and the workplace. Qualifications are allocated credit points and placed at one of the 12 component levels of the framework. Individual academic qualifications are credit-rated according to their 'size' in terms of notional learning hours (1 credit point for each 10 hours of learner effort, assuming a 1200-hour learning year). 2
The following table summarises the levels of the SCQF and associated principal qualifications in the framework. The table above shows what the highlighted cells (qualifications typically achieved by students in schools) will change to beginning in 2013/14:
|
SCQF level
(SHE = Scottish higher education level) |
National Qualifications (units, courses and group awards)
|
Higher National Qualifications |
Qualifications awarded by higher education institutions |
SVQs* (Scottish Vocational Qualifications) |
|
12 (SHE 6) |
|
|
Doctorates
|
|
|
11 (SHE 5) |
|
|
Masters / Postgraduate Diploma and Certificate |
SVQ 5 |
|
10 (SHE 4) |
|
|
Honours Degree |
|
|
9 (SHE 3) |
|
|
Ordinary Degree |
|
|
8 (SHE 2) |
|
Higher National Diploma |
Diploma of Higher Education |
SVQ 4 |
|
7 (SHE 1) |
Advanced Higher |
Higher National Certificate |
Certificate of Higher Education |
|
|
6
|
Higher |
|
|
SVQ 3 |
|
5
|
Intermediate 2 / Credit Standard grade |
|
|
SVQ 2 |
|
4
|
Intermediate 1 / General Standard grade |
|
|
SVQ 1 |
|
3
|
Access 3 / Foundation Standard grade |
|
|
|
|
2
|
Access 2 |
|
|
|
|
1
|
Access 1 |
|
|
|
The recognition of prior learning, which is defined as 'all prior learning which has not previously been assessed or credit-rated' is also included in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Further information is available via the SCQF website http://www.scqf.org.uk/.
