ST ALOYSIUS' COLLEGE
SCHOOL HANDBOOK

A Guide to Qualifications

Standard Grade is the main Scottish qualification at 15+. The College discontinued Standard Grades courses and examinations in 2003 except for a very small number of pupils in mathematics who might not pass Higher Unit 1. Standard Grades are awarded at grades 1 and 2 (= Credit Level), 3 and 4 (= General level), and 5 and 6 (= Foundation Level).

Intermediate 2 is a National Qualification equivalent to Standard Grade at Credit Level. Courses begin in Third Year and examinations take place at Christmas or in the summer of Fourth Year. Intermediate 2 uses the same grading system as Higher (see below). Pupils in Fifth Year who are struggling in English may, in rare circumstances, be entered for Intermediate 2. The course content of Intermediate 2 has an in-built progression to Higher courses.

GCSE (the General Certificate of Secondary Education) is offered by UK Examinations Boards outwith Scotland, and is equivalent to Standard Grade. GCSEs are awarded at grades A*, A, B, C, D, E, F and G. The College offers GCSE in very limited circumstances, usually in optional Sixth Year subjects for beginners.

Higher is a National Qualification for pupils at 16+. Courses begin at the end of Fourth Year and examinations take place in the summer of S5 or S6. Highers are awarded using the following standardised grades:

Band

Grade

Standardised %

1

A (upper)

85-100

2

A (lower)

70-84

3

B (upper)

65-69

4

B (lower)

60-64

5

C (upper)

55-59

6

C (lower)

50-54

7

Fail – near miss

45-49

8

Fail

40-44

9

Fail

less than 40%

The College’s own standardised grades are derived from this system and are designed accurately to reflect the likely outcome at Higher of pupils’ performance lower down the school. Highers are awarded on the basis of a combination of internal and external assessment. External examinations for Higher take place in the summer of Fifth Year (or Sixth Year).

National Units are a National Qualification. Higher courses are made up of (usually) three Units. Each Unit is internally assessed on a pass/fail basis. A Unit pass is a certified qualification in its own right. Three (for most subjects) Unit passes qualifies the pupil to take the external examination and attain a graded National Qualification at Higher.

Advanced Higher is a National Qualification for pupils at 17+. Courses are offered in Sixth Year and articulate with Highers. Awards are made using the same standardised grades as at Higher (see above).

Advanced Subsidiary Level (‘AS’ Level) is offered by UK Examinations Boards outwith Scotland for pupils at the end of their 16+ year, and is equivalent to Higher. Awards are made at grades A, B, C, D and E.

Advanced Level (‘A’ Level) is offered by UK Examinations Boards outwith Scotland for pupils at the end of their 17+ year, and is equivalent to Advanced Higher. Courses usually consist of three modules at ‘AS’ Level and a further three modules at ‘A2’ Level. Modules may be studied sequentially (one after the other) or in parallel (side by side) depending on the subject. Completion of six modules results in an award at ‘A’ Level. Awards are made at grades A, B, C, D and E.