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Scotsnet

Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

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Original poster

English mum in Scotland! - highers

58 replies

clpsmum · 25/03/2022 11:56

Hi can anyone help. My son is chowing his highers at the money for next year. Are highers the equivalent of A levels? He's chosen three highers and two Nat 5's does that seem enough??

OP posts:

LadyDanburysHat · 25/03/2022 11:59

Highers are more equivalent to AS levels. For a top university 5 highers is likely to be needed. It really depends what he wants to do with his future.

Original poster

clpsmum · 25/03/2022 12:01

Great thank you. He's not planning on university but good to know if I'm he changed his mind. His plan is three highers this year and three advanced highers the following year.

OP posts:

umberellaonesie · 25/03/2022 12:01

Depends. Normal would 4/5 highers but if he is staying on for 6th year he can pick up 2 highers.
What is he hoping to do after school?
We have approached it as he is trying to get his 5 highers he needs in 5th year as he wants to take 2 years out to concentrate on his sport. He got 6 national 5s

patritus · 25/03/2022 12:22

What is he planning career wise?
3AH in S6 is big workload as there's lot of self study/project involved. It's higher than A level and different structure.
Only people I know doing 3 are aiming for top universities or medicine

Original poster

clpsmum · 25/03/2022 12:50

He's like to get into air traffic control. I will check if is three advanced highers he is planning I might have it wrong!

OP posts:

Original poster

clpsmum · 25/03/2022 12:50

Do you think maybe two highers and one advanced higher is more realistic?

OP posts:

patritus · 25/03/2022 13:12

He should check what level of qualifications air traffic control training is asking for.

Academically able kids will usually do 4 or 5 Highers in S5 and a combination of H and AH in S6 (often 1 or 2 Advanced Highers and 1 or 2 Highers).
Kids aiming very high will do 5 Highers in S5 and 3AH in S6.

Less academically able kids will often do between 1 and 3 Highers plus some more Nat 5s in S5 and then either leave school or do another couple of Highers in S6

52andblue · 25/03/2022 13:29

following this.

My ds moved across from England with 8 GCSE's.

Transition to Highers was really difficult.
GCSE courses are really different to Nat 5 work so effectively you 'crash' them with no relevant prep. I wish we'd been more aware...

He has taken 4 Highers courses this year.
Physics, Engineering, Computing, Biology, (& one Nat 5)
He will not sit Physics (as he did badly in his prelim) this year
The others he will.
He is aiming to resit Physics plus crash Maths, Graph comm next year plus another different Nat 5 he fancies.
He also wants to do Ad Higher Biology which I think is a big mistake.

It's a different world right enough :)

newuseronmonday · 25/03/2022 19:11

Most who expect to continue to advanced highers would start with 5 highers in S5 unless they're catching up on National 5s. In 6th year the very able students will take 3 (or 4) advanced highers, while more common is a mix of advanced highers, extra highers or national 5s.

dementedpixie · 25/03/2022 19:14

Our school tends to do 5 highers in S5 and then a mix of highers/advanced highers in S6

dementedpixie · 25/03/2022 19:16

Dd did 5 highers in S5 and then 2 advanced highers and 1 higher in S6
Ds is choosing his highers this year and will also do 5

CharityShopChic · 26/03/2022 11:33

Highers are not strictly speaking required for ATC. Many controllers are graduates, many have A-levels, but the minimum is GCSEs or Nat 5s. A couple of Highers would be fine.

He must be able to pass the CAA medical - there is absolutely no wriggle room in this at all. The selection process is rigorous and is more about personality, spacial awareness and decision making than it is about academic ability and qualifications.

Snoopdogsbitofposh · 26/03/2022 11:40

If he's only doing 3 Highers he would be badly advised to do 3 Advanced Highers. It's the very high flyers who do 3 Advanced Highers in S6 after doing 5 Highers in S5. As PP have said, AH are higher than A Level.

DS1 got 5 As at Higher last year and is doing 2 Adv Highers and 2 Additional Highers in S6. He's very academic (applied to Oxford) and even he didn't want to do 3 Advanced Highers.

DS2 could do 5 Highers next year but I'll be advising him to do 3 or 4 and then another 2 in S6. He's not quite as academic and I think he'd be too stressed with 5.

If teachers have advised 3 Highers and Nat 5s take their advice, they know his abilities.

CharityShopChic · 26/03/2022 11:47

Agree, Snoop. 3 Adv Highers is almost unheard of at our school and they regularly send candidates to Oxbridge and into medicine etc.

The typical combination in S6 (for those intending University) is 2 Advanced Highers, and either one Higher and a Nat 5, or 2 Nat 5s, or awards in things like Volunteering. The school also offers S6 pupils the chance to work towards a football referee badge qualification which is very popular.

Lidlfix · 26/03/2022 17:10

Will depend on where you are though. A LEAPs school compared to Hyndland or a top ten in the (abhorrent) league tables will be viewed very differently.

Aurea · 26/03/2022 17:42

Aaargh! My DS is adamant he's doing four advanced highers next year. He is very academic and hard working though. He says several people at his (state) school each year do four (mainly the maths/science type as I believe there is some course overlap).

I am worried he's overcommitting with four as he (only) needs three with two A1s and a A2 for his dream course in England. I'm also English so not so familiar with Scottish qualifications.

Babdoc · 26/03/2022 21:36

I think advanced highers are easier than A levels. DD took 5 highers, then 5 advanced highers and got top grades in all ten of them. (Applied maths, pure maths, physics, computing and french.)
It would have been a much tougher challenge to do that with A levels.
I noticed at uni myself that the kids who had been educated in Scotland struggled with the first year syllabus, as they hadn’t covered as much as us A level students from England.

Scotland has been dropping down the education international league tables for years - the SNP’s so called curriculum for excellence seems to have been anything but!

ididntevennotice · 26/03/2022 21:50

What are school saying? What is the reason to only do 3 higher

Original poster

clpsmum · 27/03/2022 07:21

Spoke to school on Friday and they have suggested he do 4 highers this year and an extra Nat 5 so that's what he is going to do. We will see how he gets on with that before deciding what he will do next year. Thanks everyone for your advice it's very greatly appreciated

OP posts:

ScotsLass1 · 27/03/2022 08:17

@Babdoc

I think advanced highers are easier than A levels. DD took 5 highers, then 5 advanced highers and got top grades in all ten of them. (Applied maths, pure maths, physics, computing and french.) It would have been a much tougher challenge to do that with A levels. I noticed at uni myself that the kids who had been educated in Scotland struggled with the first year syllabus, as they hadn’t covered as much as us A level students from England. Scotland has been dropping down the education international league tables for years - the SNP’s so called curriculum for excellence seems to have been anything but!

Actually, Advanced Highers are worth 8 points more than A Levels.

Snoopdogsbitofposh · 27/03/2022 12:24

Yes ScotsLass1 exactly. Why the need to bring down our Education system Babdoc? Everything English is not better. The Scottish system is perfectly tailored to our 4 year degrees. In fact, Advanced Highers are deeper than A level.

Are you a teacher? Are you coming at this from a place of knowledge or just supposition?

My nephew did 2 AHs after Highers and is at Oxford. Seems they're good enough after all.

Snoopdogsbitofposh · 27/03/2022 12:26

@Babdoc

I think advanced highers are easier than A levels. DD took 5 highers, then 5 advanced highers and got top grades in all ten of them. (Applied maths, pure maths, physics, computing and french.) It would have been a much tougher challenge to do that with A levels. I noticed at uni myself that the kids who had been educated in Scotland struggled with the first year syllabus, as they hadn’t covered as much as us A level students from England. Scotland has been dropping down the education international league tables for years - the SNP’s so called curriculum for excellence seems to have been anything but!

Where do you find Applied Maths and Pure Maths Advanced Highers? My DS is doing AH Maths right now and it's just ONE subject.

CharityShopChic · 27/03/2022 12:27

I think UCAS knows what it's talking about when it comes to comparing qualifications. Certainly more than any of us.

An Advanced Higher at A is 56 UCAS points.
A-Level at A is 48 points.

A* at A-level is 56 points too. You can't really compare the two exams though, there is a mis-match of the age of students who are sitting them as the school intakes are different.

Snoopdogsbitofposh · 27/03/2022 12:28

@CharityShopChic

I think UCAS knows what it's talking about when it comes to comparing qualifications. Certainly more than any of us.

An Advanced Higher at A is 56 UCAS points.
A-Level at A is 48 points.

A* at A-level is 56 points too. You can't really compare the two exams though, there is a mis-match of the age of students who are sitting them as the school intakes are different.

Exactly.

ididntevennotice · 27/03/2022 15:07

There is only 'Mathematics' at higher

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