National 5 and Higher compared with GCSE and A-level

National 5 and GCSE: the same level

The SCQF runs from level 1 to level 12, and the framework used in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the RQF, runs from Entry Level to Level 8. The SCQF says the numbers do not line up one for one, so a Scottish level always looks higher than its English equivalent. Its guide gives the mapping for National 5: an SCQF level 5 qualification corresponds to RQF level 2, which is GCSE standard, grades 9 to 4 or A* to C. GOV.UK confirms the English side, listing GCSE grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) at level 2 and grades 3 to 1 (D to G) at level 1.

This is a match of the whole qualification, not a conversion of single grades. National 5 is graded A, B, C and D with No Award below, and GCSE in England is graded 9 to 1, so there is no official line that says an A at National 5 is a grade 6 or 7. Our SQA grades explained and GCSE grades explained guides set out each scale.

Higher, Advanced Higher and A level

A level is a level 3 qualification in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, according to GOV.UK, which lists A level and AS level at level 3. The SCQF explains that the same number on the two frameworks does not mean the same thing: an SCQF level 7 qualification is not the same as an RQF level 7, which is master's degree level. So Advanced Higher, at SCQF level 7, is not a master's level course. The UCAS Tariff treats it as comparable with A level.

The clearest official comparison is the UCAS Tariff, which turns grades into points. These are the values in the 2026 Tariff tables:

Read across the table. An Advanced Higher A is worth the same as an A level A*, a B the same as an A, a C the same as a B and a D the same as a C. UCAS puts A level and Advanced Higher in the same size band, band 4, with A level at 360 guided learning hours and Advanced Higher at 32 SCQF credits. Higher is in size band 3, at 24 credits, and its points are lower for that reason. A Higher grade A is worth 33 points, more than an A level D at 24 and just above an A level C at 32, so a Higher is best read as a smaller qualification, not a weaker one.

What universities and colleges ask for

UCAS says Tariff points are a numerical value that course providers use to assess whether you meet their entry requirements, that not every qualification has a Tariff value, and that some providers accept qualifications that do not. It tells applicants to check the course entry requirements carefully. In practice that means a university may ask for Highers, Advanced Highers or A levels, in grades or in points, and the course page is the only place that says which. Do not assume that a course written in A level grades will take your Highers, or the other way round.

Practise at the right level

On our papers, the same track serves both countries. National 5 Maths and GCSE Maths Higher are one track, and so are Higher Maths and A-level Maths: Algebra and Functions, and Higher Physics and A-level Physics: Year 1. Each is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, not a full exam board paper, with a predicted grade and the marks for each grade when you mark it. The grades shown follow your region: A to D for Scotland and 9 to 1 or A* to E for the UK.

Read next

UK · GCSEGCSE grade equivalents: 9 to 1 against A* to GGCSE grade equivalents in one table: 9 to 1 against the old A* to G, CCEA grades in Northern Ireland, Welsh letters and Scottish National 5.