Scottish Qualifications Authority
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The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is the national agency within Scotland responsible for developing, maintaining and certificating qualifications up to (but excluding) degree level. It is a non-departmental government body, partly funded by the Scottish Executive, employing 650 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith. SQA is 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.
The main levels at which students in Scotland can take examinations are referred to as Standard Grade (normally sat at age 16), Higher Grade (normally at age 16-18), and Advanced Higher Grade (normally at age 17-18). The Authority also oversees Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2 and Access 3, exams sat at the same age as Highers, but set at a lower level of difficulty. Intermediate 1 and 2 and Access 3 are also sat at age 16 in place of Standard Grade in some schools.
SQA is also responsible for a range of vocational qualifications. These include National Certificates, Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas. These qualifications are popular in Scottish colleges. SQA is one of a number of providers of Scottish Vocational Qualifications which are designed by employers and intended to be delivered in the workplace.
SQA has a statutory responsibility for Scottish schools. Although its vocational qualifications are not protected by statute, 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.
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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. 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
External link
- Scottish Qualifications Authority (http://www.sqa.org.uk/) - Official website