Edinburgh Education - National Units and Courses

This system takes a modular approach to qualifications.

National Units

This is the building block behind National Courses and Group Awards. They can also be taken as qualifications in their own right. Each unit takes forty hours teaching to complete.

National Courses

National Courses are usually made up of three National Units and an external assessment (an exam or a piece of work that it assessed by examiners). There are National Courses at various levels:

Access 1, 2 and 3

Access 1 is designed for candidates who require significant support with their learning, while Access 2 is designed for those with more moderate support needs. Access 3 is comparable with the Standard Grade Foundation level. Learning at Access 1, 2 and 3 is assessed by the centre at which you are studying and does not involve an exam.

Intermediate 1 and 2

Intermediate 1 and 2 are qualifications for students who have completed Foundation or General level Standard Grades, or Courses at Access 3. They are also suitable for those wishing to take up a new subject at school or college. Some schools now offer Intermediate Units and Courses as alternatives to Standard Grade in second, third and fourth year.