'Nationals' aim to equip pupils for the 21st century

NEW school qualifications in practical maths, environmental studies and hospitality are to be created as part of Scotland's exam structure from 2013.

National exam board, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), is to publish draft course information next week laying out details of the new Nationals at grades 4 and 5 to replace Standard Grades.

But new subject titles, under eight categories, have been revealed in advance. They are grouped under the headings: expressive arts, health and wellbeing, languages, mathematics, religious and moral education, sciences, social studies and technologies.

National 4 will be the lower level around S3 with no exam and level 5 with an exam in S4.

New subjects designed to cater for the skills pupils will need in the 21st century include environmental studies to reflect the growing interest in this area, and practical mathematics to allow pupils to learn to use maths in everyday life.

New certificates in Cantonese and Mandarin reflect bids to connect with China. And home economics has been replaced by two courses in hospitality - practical cookery and practical cake baking and finishing - and religious education will now include philosophy.

Many subjects, such as Chinese language modules, were previously available as Intermediates, but not at Standard Grade. Some subjects such as Greek and Russian were previously axed because of low take-up, however Latin remains.

The new system aims to remove the confusion of having so many different qualifications including Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2. Intermediates were created to plug the gap between Standard Grades and Highers but are also to be scrapped

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A key criticism of Standard Grades was that they did not prepare pupils for the step up to the next level. Another alleged fault was that they provided everyone with a qualification because the lower levels, known as foundation, were too easy.

Ann Ballinger, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, warned there was a risk only the brightest pupils would be put forward for the examinable National 5 to the detriment of those of lesser ability.

And parents still have concerns about how the new qualifications will work in practice.

Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: "Will the new qualifications be recognised by employers, as well as further and higher education institutions, as having credibility?"Will the internal assessment of National 4 be detrimental to their status and will their pass/ fail format disadvantage children who may be left with no qualifications at the end of their schooling?"

Dr Gill Stewart, SQA's director of qualifications development believes the new range of subject choices will give young people the skills they will need for the future.

She said: "We are trying to, in a very open and transparent way, publish these draft course outlines so people can see how the qualifications are developing and people can have their say."

Consultation will begin from Monday and the deadline for feedback will be 31 March.

Revisions are also due to be made to Higher and Advanced Higher exams later in the year.

Implementation of the updated Higher will begin the year after Nationals in 2014 and Advanced Higher in 2015.