​​The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is a way of comparing Scottish qualifications. It does this by giving each qualification a level and credit points.

Understanding the SCQF levels and credits can help learners to plan their learning and skills development more effectively.

What is the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework?

You can see the framework on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework website.

The SCQF Partnership has created a video that explains the framework in simple terms.

What qualifications are on the Framework?

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework covers qualifications achieved not only at school, college and university, but also in the workplace and in the wider community. Apart from the mainstream qualifications, the Framework also includes many other diverse types of learning including:

• ASDAN Certificate of Personal Effectiveness
• City & Guilds Certificate in Employability and Personal Development at SCQF Level 4
• Youth Scotland Youth Achievement Awards
• British Computer Society ECDL
• The Boys’ Brigade King George VI Leadership Programme
• Rathbone UK One Life Programme

With an increasing number of qualifications and types of learning appearing on the Framework, employers are now beginning to use SCQF levels instead of, or as well as, types of qualifications when they advertise for jobs.

How does the Framework compare qualifications?

The level of a qualification on the Framework shows how difficult the learning is. For example, one person may study a course at National 4​ and another at Higher. Both qualifications have 24 SCQF credit points but at different levels of difficulty.

Where levels indicate how difficult the learning is, credit points show how much a person needs to learn to achieve that qualification.

What are the benefits of the SCQF?

Once you know how the levels and credits work on the Framework, it's easy to see some of the benefits the Framework can offer. The SCQF can:

• help learners to identify what skills they need and decide how to progress in their learning by making informed learning choices
• help you to understand qualifications you are not familiar with
• help employers to understand different types of qualifications
• help universities and colleges identify the level a learner has studied at and make it easier to transfer credits between different learning programmes
• help learners to recognise areas of learning other than academic qualifications that can help with personal development and goals for the future.

What is the Framework's role in recognising learners' achievements?

The SCQF also helps to ensure that learners' achievements are recognised as part of Curriculum for Excellence.
As young people reach S3 and move into the senior phase, schools and their partners will continue to recognise achievements that take place outside the classroom. At this stage, young people will also be able to seek recognition for their skills​ through a range of National Qualifications and other awards that have SCQF levels and credits.

From S3, National Literacy and National Numeracy qualifications will assess the level that learners have reached across a range of contexts relevant to their learning, to everyday life and to work. They will show learners' achievements in these skills at levels 3, 4 and 5 of the SCQF.

Related links

Download the PDF file: Get to know the SCQF: A guide for parents and carers.

Further information for parents and carers from the SCQF.