Editing Sixth form (section)

===Scotland===
In the Scottish education system, the final year of school is known as ''Sixth Year'' or '''S6'''. During this year, students typically study [[Advanced Higher (Scottish)|Advanced Higher]] and/or [[Higher (Scottish)|Higher]] courses in a wide range of subjects, taking [[Scottish Qualifications Authority|SQA]] exams at the end of both S5 and S6. Pupils in [[Scotland]] may leave once they have reached the age of 16; those who reach 16 before 30&nbsp;September may leave after national examinations in May, whilst those who are 16 by the end of February may leave the previous Christmas.

It is not essential for candidates to do a sixth year if they wish to attend a Scottish university, as they have obtained adequate Higher grades in S5 and may apply and receive acceptance, though this is conditional on being successful in the examinations. However, the vast majority of Scottish students return for S6 if they plan to attend university. Some English universities will also accept Scottish students who have obtained adequate Higher grades in S5. It was announced in December 2008 that, as from 2010, [[UCAS]] will increase the number of points awarded to those who achieve Highers and Advanced Highers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-12-17 |title=Scottish grades get higher rating |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7787540.stm |access-date=2023-12-02}}</ref>

In some cases, particularly in independent schools, the term ''sixth form'' is also used for the last two years of secondary education.