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Introduction
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) (Gaelic: Ùghdarras Theisteanas na h-Alba) is Scotland’s internationally recognised accreditation and awarding body, working with the Scottish Government’s Learning Directorate .

In its accreditation role, SQA accredits vocational qualifications (other than degrees) delivered in Scotland and approves and quality assures awarding bodies that plan to submit people for these qualifications.

As an awarding body, SQA is responsible for designing, developing, quality assuring and managing Scotland’s national qualifications system other than degrees.

SQA was established in April 1997, to combine the roles of the Scottish Vocational Education Council (SCOTVEC) and the Scottish Examination Board (SEB). SQA's functions and responsibilities are laid out in the Education (Scotland) Act 1996 and amended by the Scottish Qualifications Authority Act 2002.

SQA’s portfolio includes the new National Qualifications young people will sit in schools and colleges from 2014 onwards as well as Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs), Higher National Certificates (HNCs), Higher National Diplomas (HNDs), Professional Development and Customised Awards.

SQA works in partnership with over 1,500 schools, colleges, universities and training providers to provide high quality, flexible and relevant qualifications and assessments, embedding industry standards where appropriate.

New National Qualifications
SQA has developed new National Qualifications that support Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, which has been operating in Scottish secondary schools since 2010.

The new National Qualifications have replaced a number of former SQA qualifications.

National 1, National 2, National 3, National 4 and National 5 will be available from August 2013. The new Higher will be introduced in August 2014 and the new Advanced Higher in August 2015.

In 2013-14 and 2014–15, the new qualifications will run in schools and colleges alongside some of the current qualifications. This means that learners entering S5 or S6 in session 2013-14 will continue to study towards the current qualifications until they complete their education.

Learners will continue to choose the subjects they want to study at each level and schools will inform parents of when these choices can be made and the number of subjects available.

How will the new qualifications be assessed?
National 1, National 2, National 3 and National 4 will be marked and assessed by schools or colleges. SQA will check assessments to ensure judgements are consistent and meet national standards.

National 4 Courses comprise Units, including an Added Value Unit. In order to achieve a Course at National 4, learners will need to pass all Units on their course including the Added Value Unit assessment. The National 4 Added Value Unit assessment will be set and marked by schools or colleges. SQA will set the National 4 Added Value Unit assessments in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The Added Value Unit assessment performs a similar function to the Course assessment at National 5 and above.

National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Courses will also include Units that are assessed and marked by the school or college. In order to achieve a Course at National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher, learners must pass all Units plus a Course assessment. Course assessments will continue to be externally marked by SQA.

Course assessment will align with the purpose and aims of the Course and be fit for purpose. It must also be consistent with the learning and teaching approaches used to deliver the Course.

Assessments will be appropriate to the subject and level of study and include a combination of:


 * case study
 * practical activity
 * project
 * question paper/test

This gives practitioners the flexibility to use their professional judgement when developing their Unit assessments.

New quality assurance arrangements are being introduced to ensure that the new qualifications are recognised as a valuable achievement for learners.

SQA is working with schools and colleges to ensure that all assessments are secure, valid and reliable.

How will the new qualifications be graded?
All Courses will continue to contain Units that are marked throughout the year by teachers and lecturers. These Units will be assessed as 'pass' or 'fail' as is the case with current qualifications.

Courses at National 2, National 3 and National 4 will not be graded, but assessed as 'pass' or 'fail'. Courses at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher will be graded A to D, or 'No Award'.

If a learner does not achieve a Course assessment at National 4, National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher, they will still receive credit for any Units they have achieved at that level. So when the learner receives their qualification certificate, the Units they have passed within the Course will appear on the detailed record of attainment section of their qualifications certificate.

New Awards
SQA has developed new Awards to give young people more opportunities to demonstrate their achievements at school or college. Awards have been available in schools and colleges since August 2012.

National Qualifications - Scottish Baccalaureate
Scottish Baccalaureates were launched in 2009. They are aimed at high-achieving candidates in their sixth year, and are designed to encourage personalised, in-depth study and interdisciplinary learning in the later stages of secondary school.

Candidates can choose topics from one of four distinct areas: languages, science, expressive arts or social sciences.

The Scottish Baccalaureate consists of a coherent group of Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications and, uniquely, an Interdisciplinary Project of candidates’ own choosing which is marked at Advanced Higher level.

The Interdisciplinary Project allows learners to develop and show evidence of initiative, responsibility and independent working – skills of real value in the world of higher education and work.

National Qualifications - Skills for work and National Progression Awards
SQA offers other types of National Qualifications which support wider achievement in schools and colleges. Skills for Work Courses introduce learners to the demands and expectations of the world of work and provide progression pathways to further education, training and employment.

National Progression Awards add link are available in a variety of sectors, from Construction to Social Software. They are aimed at assessing a defined set of skills and knowledge in specialist vocational areas. They also link to National Occupational Standards, which are the basis of Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs). National Progression Awards prepare learners for employment, career development or progression to study at Higher National level.

Scottish Vocational Qualifications and Modern Apprenticeships
Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) are an award for vocational education and training awarded by  SQA or other approved awarding bodies in conjunction with industry bodies.

Scottish National Qualifications and Scottish Progression Awards are often important in a Modern Apprenticeship scheme along with SVQs.

SVQs are developed by employers in the United Kingdom in tandem with National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

SVQs are assessed in the workplace (or closely regulated training workshops) by employers, training providers or colleges approved and monitored by SQA (or other awarding bodies) accredited by its independent Accreditation Unit.

Modern Apprenticeships offer anyone aged over 16 paid employment combined with the opportunity to train for jobs across a wide range of sectors.

Modern Apprenticeships are supported by the Confederation of Business and Industry (CBI), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and a wide range of employers. All Modern Apprenticeship frameworks are developed by the appropriate sector skills council in consultation with their industry. Modern Apprenticeship frameworks can also be used as the basis for training more established employees. Off-the-job learning usually takes place through colleges or training providers.

A Modern Apprentice will be employed from the very start of their training and will receive a wage from their employer. They will then be given the chance to develop expertise and knowledge through on-the-job assessment, as well as gaining vital skills such as teamwork and problem solving. Many Modern Apprentices also attend colleges or training centres to study the theory relating to their chosen occupation.

National Units and National Courses
National Units are the building blocks of all SQA National Courses and Qualifications. Typically a National Qualification comprises of three or four component Units, each of which has some 40 hours of study to complete.

Higher National Qualifications (Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas)
SQA develops  Higher National Qualifications  in partnership with colleges, universities and industry.

Offered by colleges, some universities and many other training centres, Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) are designed to meet the needs of employers.

Higher National courses provide both the practical skills needed for a job and the theoretical knowledge required to understand the job.

All the HNC and HND courses comprise of Higher National Unit credits (one credit represents roughly 40 hours of timetabled learning).


 * HNCs are made up of 12 credits and usually take one year to complete
 * HNDs are made up of 30 credits and usually take two years to complete

Some HNCs allow direct entry into the second year of a degree programme, and some HNDs allow direct entry to third year.

Many Professional Bodies in the UK recognise the quality and value of an SQA HND qualification.

This has led a high number of bodies to enter into agreements with SQA which recognises this value by way of articulation and professional recognition:


 * Exemptions (partial and full) to professional body exams
 * Accepted as a membership entry requirement

More than a third of SQA’s HND portfolio has formal links with one or more professional bodies.

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) was established in 2001 by a partnership of national bodies - The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)  through its Scottish office, SQA and Universities Scotland, supported by the Scottish Government.

The SCQF aims to enable employers, learners and the public to understand the full range of Scottish qualifications, how they relate to each other and how different types of qualifications can contribute to improving the skills of the workforce.