Standard Grades were Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years. Introduced in 1986, the Grades were replaced in 2013 with the
Scottish Qualifications Authority's National exams in a major shake-up of
Scotland's education system
Education in Scotland is overseen by the Scottish Government and its executive agency Education Scotland. Education in Scotland has a history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly differe ...
as part of the
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is the national credit transfer system for all levels of qualifications in Scotland. Awards are classified under the framework at ''levels'', and study undertaken at that level is valued ...
overhaul.
Scottish Standard Grades roughly matched the English, Welsh and Northern Irish
General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations in terms of level subject content and cognitive difficulty.
History
Following the
Munn and Dunning reports published in 1977, the Standard Grade replaced the old
O-Grade qualification, and was phased in from 1986.
Standard Grade courses were taken over a student's third and fourth year in secondary education. Exams were taken at the end of the 4th Year (around May), with
preliminary examinations taken several months earlier in November. (However, certain subjects may have been "fast tracked" at some schools (for example Dalziel High school, which was the first school to use this system), where the course is started in at the beginning of 2nd year and finished at the end of 3rd year (this meant that pupils start standard grades at age 12/13 and finish them at age 14/15). The exams were provided by the
Scottish Qualifications Authority, which also offers the more recent National Qualifications on the
Scottish Qualifications Certificate
The Scottish Qualifications Certificate (SQC) is the successor to the Scottish Certificate of Education and the Record of Education and Training, and is the main educational qualification awarded to students in secondary, further, and vocational e ...
.
Students would typically study 8 subjects at Standard Grade. Generally speaking, different subjects could be taken independently of each other, although
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
and
Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
were compulsory, and most schools would structure student choices so that at least one
science subject, one
social science (and often a
modern language) were chosen. The two main restrictions on this choice were timetable arrangements, and the fact that many less popular subjects are not offered by all schools.
Levels of award
There are three sub-levels (or "tiered" papers) at which Standard Grade exams can be taken, namely "Foundation Level", "General Level" and "Credit Level". At one sitting, students generally sit either the Foundation and General level papers together, or the General and Credit level papers together.
Students are awarded a numerical grade for each examination (which may consist of several papers) ranging from 1 (best) to 7. The table below lists the grades, the exam level and equivalence to the new National Qualification exams and the
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is the national credit transfer system for all levels of qualifications in Scotland. Awards are classified under the framework at ''levels'', and study undertaken at that level is valued ...
(SCQF for short).
Higher Still
The Scottish Government Authorities responsible for Education decided to slowly phase out the Standard Grade system in favour of the
Scottish Qualifications Authority's Higher Still system
as many students and teachers felt that the jump from Standard Grade to
Higher was too difficult, particularly in subjects such as English. Although they are not exactly the same, the Foundation Level is similar to Higher Still's Access 3 level, whilst General is similar to Intermediate 1 and Credit is similar to Intermediate 2.
Standard Grade exams were replaced progressively by the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) system. Unlike Standard Grades the CfE does not involve external exams for the majority of levels. The new curriculum involves 5 levels; National 1, National 2, National 3, National 4, and National 5. National 1 to National 4 are awarded on the basis of coursework and tests generated and marked by the school, whereas students can achieve National 5 by passing examinations externally set by the SQA.
Standard Grade subjects
Compulsory subjects
The
Scottish Government states that all pupils must take the subjects below. However, there are exceptions.
* English (4 hours per week minimum)
*
Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
(4 hours per week minimum)
* Science (At least one from: ''
Chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
,
Biology,
Physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
, General
Science'') (3 hours per week minimum)
* Social Sciences (At least one from: ''
History,
Geography,
Modern Studies
Modern Studies is a subject in the Scottish school system, currently taught at National 3 through Advanced Higher. It concerns contemporary social and political issues, and political processes, in Scottish
Scottish usually refers to somethin ...
or
Classical Studies''] (3 hours per week minimum)
* Physical Education (PE)
* (1 hour per week minimum)
* Religious, Moral and Philosophical Education (RMPS)
* (1 hour per week minimum)
* Education for Personal and Social Development (PSE)
* (1 hour per week minimum)
* Core subject
Most schools in Scotland have periods between 50–55 minutes long, although this is generally accepted as an hour of a compulsory subject.
The course choice process begins after the Christmas and New Year of S2, with the completed forms being handed in around the end of February.
Subjects
See also
*
Education in Scotland
Education in Scotland is overseen by the Scottish Government and its executive agency Education Scotland. Education in Scotland has a history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly diffe ...
*
Higher Grade
*
Advanced Higher Grade
References
*{{cite web
, author = SCQF
, title = Table of Main Qualifications
, url = http://www.scqf.org.uk/table.htm
, work = SCQF Table of Main Qualifications
, publisher = SCQF
, accessdate = 2008-02-07
, archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080206072952/http://www.scqf.org.uk/table.htm , archive-date = 2008-02-06, ref=refSCQF
External links
*http://www.sqa.org.uk – Scottish Qualifications Authority
*http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/NQExamTimetable2010.pdf – 2010 Exam Timetable
Educational qualifications in Scotland
School examinations
Secondary school qualifications
Standardised tests in Scotland
Secondary education in Scotland