When applying for jobs, students will be asked to produce the certificates because employers know the certificates provide clear proof of academic performance and skills. Further education colleges also routinely examine applicants' certificates. In grading the exams, students are measured against a set standard, not on how they compare to other students' performance. Scottish teachers hired by the SEB grade the exams. They are trained for half of a day by the SEB and are released from their teaching duties for this training.
Teachers grade the exams on their own time and are paid for each exam scored.
The SEB checks random samples of each teacher's exams for accuracy. Teachers often choose to grade exams because it is a good way to learn about the SEB's expectations in order to better prepare their students. But the immediate avenues open to particular students are constrained by the scores that students receive on their Standard Grade exams. The remaining -73 percent remain in secondary school for one or two years with 27 percent of all students eventually going on to university. All students enrolled in universities and vocational training after secondary school receive free tuition and a stipend based on their parents' income level.