Examination Results in Scottish Schools 1997-99

6. National Certificate Group Awards

6.1 Group Awards

In schools, a group award is made up of a number of NC modules. To get the award, the candidate has to gain full success in all of the modules.

Various kinds of group awards are taken by school pupils, mainly in S5/S6. A GSVQ (General Scottish Vocational Qualification) is a broadly based qualification relevant to employment in a range of occupations and also for entry to further and higher education and further training. A Skillstart Award is a preliminary award at a more basic level than GSVQs. National Certificate Clusters combine related modules into coherent groupings to help pupils to progress to their chosen goals and may provide a credit transfer of up to 3full credits towards a GSVQ. Schools Group Awards were tailored awards developed by a number of local education authorities. The awards were designed to provide coherent groups of modules having a vocational bias, providing a progression from Standard Grade. School Group Awards are being phased out, but pupils who have started the awards will be able to complete them.

6.2 Successes in Group Awards

Table2 provides information about the number of successes in different categories of group awards in 1996/97 to 1997/99.

Table2: Successes in Group Awards S3-S6, 1997-1999

Leaflets on GSVQs, NC Clusters, and Skillstart Awards are available from

The Scottish Qualifications Authority,
Ironmills Road,
Dalkeith,
Midlothian,
EH22 1LE.

7. Education and Training Targets for Scotland: The School Contribution

7.1 THE TARGETS

The former Advisory Scottish Council for Education and Training Targets (ASCETT) established the Education and Training Targets for a Competitive Scotland. Of these targets for the year 2000, two are particularly relevant to schools:

In both cases, the levels of SQA awards are stated as equivalents to other awards such as appropriate GSVQs.

Schools' main contribution to meeting the targets is represented by the SQA awards gained at the normal stages for taking these examinations. Note, however, that some pupils who do not achieve 5 Standard Grade Awards at 1-3 in S4 or 3 Higher Grade awards at A-C in S5 stay on at school and improve their qualifications in later school years. This could include gaining awards based on groups of NC modules.

The other main contribution to meeting the national targets is that young people obtain further qualifications after they leave school at age 16 to 18 by going into higher or further education or training, for example, through Skillseekers.

Note that elsewhere in this report, figures are given throughout for awards at Standard Grades 1-2, 1-4 and 1-6. The choice of Standard Grades 1-3 for the national targets makes it easier to judge progress across the entire United Kingdom.

The percentages given below differ from other figures in this report in that they are based on all Scottish young people in the appropriate age group including pupils of independent and special schools.

7.2 The S4 STANDARD GRADE CONTRIBUTION TO THE TARGETS

In 1999, 57% of S4 pupils¹ gained 5 or more Standard Grade awards at Grades 13. This performance at the end of the period of compulsory education was almost two thirds of the way towards the target of 85% which has been set to be achieved by the time that pupils are some three years older.

7.3 The S5 and S6 HIGHER GRADE contribution to the targets

Those pupils who were in S4 in 1996/97 and who chose to stay on at school could take Higher Grade examinations in S5 1997/98 or S6 1998/99, or in both years. By the time that they left school, 27% of this year group¹ had gained 3 or more Higher Grade awards at A-C.

¹ Includes all independent and publicly funded schools