Trying to understand the nationals system

[Rosebud2005]

Can anyone clarify the credit points for me?

Nat5 -72
Nat4 - 72
Nat 3 - 18

Are these passes? So is each individual 4/5 marked 6 points then group 4/5 72? Have I got that correct? It’s the final certificate I can’t get my head around

young.scot/get-informed/national/what-does-your-scqf-certificate-mean

Does this help? The points only equate to the amount of learning have participated in, not a demonstrated achievement level.

For example anyone who does a NAT5 subject gets 24 credits of learning, but it is your grade A,B,C etc that shows your level of attainment.

Should have said, as far as I am aware NAT3/4 do not get graded, they are a pass/fail. So if they appear on the certificate they are passes and the credits will be the same learning credits everyone is given for NAT3/4 courses.

Do S3s get national 3s and/or national 4s?

Do S3s sit any mock exams (I know I did when I was in S3 and I found it really useful to know what I was good at and what I needed to work on)

Ah so as long as 3/4 is on the certificate it is passed? Thank you. I thought that but it’s all the levels and numbers I was struggling with

@BridgetJonesPanties

Do S3s get national 3s and/or national 4s?

Do S3s sit any mock exams (I know I did when I was in S3 and I found it really useful to know what I was good at and what I needed to work on)

I think, just going by what ds has told me, they only get their first qualifications in S4. If they are ready they will sit NAT5 exams. If they are not ready the school can suggest they do NAT3/4 instead and do their NAT5 in S5 instead. NAT3/4 are roughly equivalent to the old Standard Grade Foundation/General levels.

Exams in S3 are up to each school to choose if they want to do. ds(17)s school did an series of exams for the 9 subjects they were studying in S3. It was hard work over 2 weeks, with little notice and a bit of a shock for him! It was a couple of years back now, but I think they were either just before or after Xmas and the results were used in Jan/Feb to advise pupils on their S4 subject choices.

@BridgetJonesPanties

Do S3s get national 3s and/or national 4s?

Do S3s sit any mock exams (I know I did when I was in S3 and I found it really useful to know what I was good at and what I needed to work on)

Not at our school. No S3 exams, and no qualifications in S3 awarded.

DD has just done her nat 5s. In her school, it's either Nat 5, Nat 4, or nothing. But as far as I know from conversations with friends who are teachers, they are different qualifications. Nat 5 isn't just Nat 4 plus a bit extra. Kids doing Nat 4 maths (for example) might need to know A, B, C, and D. Kids doing Nat 5 Maths also need to know A and B, but also E and F.

Kids who for whatever reason aren't up to Nat 5 at the end of S4 in our school are presented for Nat 4. One of DD's friends is in this position with Maths, the aim for her is to reach Nat 5 standard by the end of S6. So this year she did Nat 4.

If you can bear to wade through the 24 page SQA pdf on the various awards...

Missed the link.

www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/Guide_to_Scottish_Qualifications.pdf

They are unlikely to sit mocks in S3 - though they might a unit toward their S4 qualification, or other practice tests in class. The students who sit N4 will not sit an exam at the end, it's all internally assessed, so not really needing a practice in their case.
N3 will run in a few subjects only.
It's only N5 up that gets grades, rest are pass/fail. In some cases students sitting N5 will also complete the N4 outcomes, in case they fail the exam. This doesn't work in subjects were the content is very different between the two.