The American concept of a school transcript is unfamiliar in the UK. Schools in the UK do not generally rank pupils within their year; currently, the principal standards are the GCSE, SCE and AS and A-Level examination results.

There is no official method of equating British and American educational qualifications. The educational systems are entirely different and attempts to compare them must be done on a strictly provisional basis. However, general experience seems to indicate that 5 GCSE's or the Scottish Certificate of Education-Standard Grade passes are considered to weigh closest to the American high school diploma.

Information on Qualifications: Examination Bodies

The following organizations administer and award qualifications (diplomas) in the UK:

• Assessment and Qualifications Alliance is the largest of the three English examination bodies.
  
• Oxford Cambridge and Royal Society of Arts Examinations also provides qualifications offered by the Welsh Joint Education Committee.
  
• Northern Ireland Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment supplies GCE awards, although the English and Welsh bodies also offer qualifications in Northern Ireland.
  
• The Scottish Qualifications Authority is the national body for examinations in Scotland.