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The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Executive responsible for the development, accreditation, assessment and certification of qualifications other than degrees in Scotland. It is a non-departmental public body, partly funded by the Scottish Executive Education Department, employing 650 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith. SQA is perhaps best known for the delivery of the annual diet of public examinations within Scotland; each year the Authority organises public examinations in a wide range of subjects, at various levels, for school pupils and college students. However, a greater number of candidates of all ages participates in SQA specialist, vocational and higher education qualifications.
The SQA's functions and responsibilties are laid out in the Education (Scotland) Act 1996 as amended by the Scottish Qualifications Act 2002.
National courses
National Courses combine three National Units, each lasting 40 hours with a Course Assessment, normally taken at the end of a one-year Course in the early summer.The main levels at which students in Scotland can take examinations are referred to as Standard Grade (at three levels, Foundation, General and Credits, normally sat at age 14-15) and National Courses at 7 levels: Access 1, Access 2, Access 3, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, and Higher (normally at age 15-18), Advanced Higher (normally at age 17-18). Intermediate 1 and 2 and Access 3 are sat at age 16 in place of Standard Grade in some schools, and at ages 16-18 in addition to Highers and Advanced Highers. National Courses can be taken in a wide range of subjects, from the purely academic, such as English and Mathematics - to the purely vocational, such as Accounting and Mental Health Care.
These Courses are awarded on the Scottish Qualifications Certificate.
Other qualifications
National units and programmes
Most important to the integrated Scottish system are the many qualifications often imperfectly referred to as vocational, though these are frequently stepping stones to, or second chances on, a fairly standard academic pathway.The largest group of students at Scottish Colleges of Further Education pursue one- or two- year programmes tailored from a wide ranging catalogue of National Units. The actual programme may be very rigidly prescribed by employers or be entirely freely chosen by the student to meet particular needs. The prescribed programmes may be recognised by a National Certificate or a Scottish Progression Award.SVQs and Modern Apprenticeships
Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) are an award for vocational education and training awarded by the SQA in conjunction with industry bodies. Scottish National Qualifications and Scottish Progession Awards are often important in a Modern Apprenticeship scheme along with Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ). SVQs are developed by United Kingdom employers in tandem with National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.SVQ are assessed in the workplace (or closely regulated training workshops) by employers, training providers or colleges approved and monitored by the SQA (or other awarding bodies) accredited by its independent Accreditation Unit.
Higher National Certificates and Diplomas
Qualifications aimed at students in their first two years of Higher Education include HNCs (Higher National Certificates)- taken as a one year full-time course or as a two year part-time course - and HNDs (Higher National Diplomas. These qualifications are extremely popular in colleges, workplaces and community education centres in Scotland, the rest of the U.K and throughout the world (most recently in China.Students with learning difficulties
These include specific qualifications for those with severe to moderate difficulties (Access),the right to aid in completing assessments (for example, a scribe) and the right to challenge any unfair or artificial barrier in the rules for any qualificationEnglish as a Second Language
There is a suite of National Units addressing the needs of economic migrants, asylum seekers and (the biggest group) those seeking to master English before returning to their own countries.British Sign Language
A suite on National Units answers the needs of those who prefer to communicate in BSLScottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
SQA has joined with Universities Scotland, QAA Scotland and the Scottish Executive to create the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework or SCQF. Every Scottish qualification - from the Access level for those with learning difficulties to a Doctorate and including vocational as well as ESOL and BSL qualifications - is allocated a level and credit value within this framework, which all partners have agreed to recognise.Responsibilities
SQA has a statutory responsibility to provide public examinations for Scottish state schools, though these are also used more widely. It has a statutory responsibility to accredit vocational qualifications (that is formally scrutinise them and confirm that they conform to agreed UK criteria). None of its qualifications, still less its vocational qualifications, is protected by statute, but the Authority has a largely dominant position within all sectors of qualifications within Scotland. SQA awards are exported to a number of countries including China, Africa, the Middle East, Russia and former soviet republics and other countries. SQA also provides the licensing certification for many merchant navies throughout the world.
History
Up until their merger in 1998, the two major Scottish examination authorities were the SEB (Scottish Examination Board) and the Scottish Vocational Education Council (SCOTVEC). It is the former of the two that issued the Standard Grade and Higher Grade examinations. The year after Higher Grade was called CSYS (Certificate of Sixth Year Studies) until a reform of Scottish exams (the National Qualifications or Higher Still reforms) replaced it with a broadly equivalent qualification called Advanced Higher. Some curriculum changes were also made to the Higher, but this was not renamed.
A legacy of its two precursor bodies, the Authority's offices remain split over two sites, one in Glasgow and one in Dalkeith.
Controversy
The introduction of the reformed examinations system in 2000 was criticised in the press and by the government after a series of administrative and computer errors led to several thousand incorrect Higher and Intermediate certificates being sent out. Also some schools were given the wrong, or incomplete exams, on the published exam day. The crisis took several months to resolve, and several management figures including the Chief Executive Ron Tuck resigned or were fired. Again in 2003, a series of blunders led to thousands of students missing out on a university place (or being given one they did not deserve) because of incorrect Higher exam results.
See also
Higher Still Notes
Recently a website called Higher Still Notes (Higher Still Notes) has been created specifically for helping with SQA National Qualifications courses. There are notes for such courses as Higher Maths, Higher English, Higher Chemistry, Higher Physics, Higher Computing and many other courses.
There is also a very helpful discussion forum for students to help each other: Higher Still Notes Forum
External links
- Scottish Qualifications Authority - Official website
- Higher Still Notes - Website for helping with SQA qualifications
Qualification awarding bodies in the United Kingdom | Education in Scotland | Scottish public bodies | Educational qualifications in Scotland | School examinations
"Scottish Qualifications Authority"