Scotland has retained its distinctive education system over the centuries with Aberdeen once proudly boasting it had more universities than the whole of England and with public schools being exactly that - schools for the public to attend (although there is a tradition of private fee-paying schools in certain areas, particularly in Edinburgh and Glasgow).

Generally, Scots receive a wider breadth of education than students elsewhere in the UK. On average, one or two more subjects are taken at school certificate level and the peculiarly Scottish "Ordinary" degree was highly regarded in the past (an Ordinary MA from the ancient Scottish universities is an undergraduate degree, with the title of "Master" signifying the extent of the learning undertaken whilst studying for it) although the majority of university undergraduates now read to Honours level.

Scotland has now adopted a series of qualification attainment levels from basic school leaving certificates (Level 1 - 7 ) to advanced school and vocational further education courses (Level 6 - 8 ) and on to degree and post graduate qualifications (Level 9 - 12). These have been set by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, the body which sets school exams and which validates further education courses.