Iranian upper secondary now comparable to A level
Following wider reforms to the Iranian school system, the Certificate of Completion of Upper Secondary Education (گواهینامه پایان تحصیلات دوره دوم متوسطه) is now the main school-leaving award in-country.
When awarded in the theoretical stream from 2019 onwards, this qualification is comparable to the A level/Scottish Advanced Higher.
Note that the English translation of the Persian-language title may vary.
Reforms
Under the previous system, students completed a three-year secondary cycle followed by a separate pre-university programme. The latter led to the award of the Pre-University Certificate (log in required to access links).
The reforms replaced these stages with a single three-year upper secondary programme comprising years 10, 11 and 12.
Why compare to A level?
UK ENIC's review found that the Certificate of Completion of Upper Secondary Education grants direct access to higher education in Iran and therefore serves the same function as the former Pre-University Certificate.
In addition, the two certificates are associated with similar learning outcomes and are considered comparable in-country. UK ENIC has long compared the Pre-University Certificate to the overall A level standard.
UK ENIC’s review also considered evidence relating to curriculum content and programme structure, which further supported the overall comparison to A level.
Comparability
As always, UK ENIC refers to ‘comparability’ rather than ‘equivalency’ because no two qualifications are the same.
The UK comparison does not imply that the Iranian qualification is the same as the A level or Scottish Advanced Highers in counterpart subjects, but rather that the knowledge and skills acquired are broadly similar.