Guides
The secondary years, one page each.
What happens in each year, what to watch for, and the dates that matter. Every date carries the source we checked and when.
Broad General Education · S1 to S3
- S1 to S3: the broad general educationThree years with no exams at the end of them. What the broad general education is for, when subject choice quietly begins, and what is worth watching in years that produce no grades.
- Choosing subjects for the senior phaseThe Scottish subject choice arrives at the end of S3, a year earlier than GCSE options and with less room to recover. What the columns mean, and which doors close quietly.
Higher and Advanced Higher · S5 and S6
- S5: the Higher yearThe most consequential year in Scottish secondary school. Five one-year courses, and the grades universities actually make offers on. Why S5 carries more weight than Year 12 does in England.
- S6: Advanced Highers, more Highers, or bothS6 is optional and it is the year most Scottish pupils apply to university. The three shapes it can take, what Advanced Highers are worth, and how to make an optional year count.