English, maths, science and computing, Year 1 to Year 13, across every exam board.
Scotland: Curriculum for Excellence and SQA (adapted, not a GCSE equivalent)
| Age | Stage | Level / qualification |
|---|
| 5–8 | P1–P4 | Early → First level (Experiences & Outcomes, Es&Os) |
| 8–12 | P5–P7 | Second level |
| 12–15 | S1–S3 | Third/Fourth level: Broad General Education (BGE) |
| 15–16 | S4 | National 4 (internally assessed) / National 5 (external exam) |
| 16–17 | S5 | Higher (one year; the main university-entry qualification) |
| 17–18 | S6 | Advanced Higher / further Highers |
| ⚠ Scotland's assessment reforms after the Hayward Review, and SQA being replaced by Qualifications Scotland, may change how courses are assessed. Check the current arrangements. | | |
Courses and assessment
| Subject | National 5 | Higher | Advanced Higher |
|---|
| English | Reading for Understanding, Analysis & Evaluation (RUAE); Critical Reading (Scottish text + critical essay); Portfolio–writing | RUAE; Critical Reading; Portfolio; spoken language | Literary study, textual analysis, dissertation, portfolio |
| Mathematics | Paper 1 (non-calculator) + Paper 2 | Paper 1 (non-calculator) + Paper 2 | Single paper (calculator) |
| Applications of Maths | Yes | Yes | n/a (AH Statistics instead) |
| Biology / Chemistry / Physics | Question paper + assignment | Question paper(s) + assignment | Question paper + project |
| Computing Science | Question paper + assignment (software, databases, web) | Question paper + assignment | Question paper + project |
BGE outline (P1–S3)
- Literacy & English: listening and talking; reading (decoding through to critical literacy); writing (functional through to creative and persuasive).
- Numeracy & Maths: number, money and measure; shape, position and movement; information handling, building to algebra and trigonometry at Fourth level.
- Sciences: Planet Earth, Forces & electricity, Biological systems, Materials, Topical science.
- Technologies: digital literacy plus computing science (programming, data, how computers work).
National 5 Maths order (S4)
Expressions & formulae (surds, indices, algebraic fractions, arcs/sectors, volume) → Relationships (straight line, equations, quadratics, Pythagoras, trigonometry) → Applications (vectors, percentages, statistics) → prelim → exam.