Updated subject definitions

As readers will know, we recently made changes to the External Verification Groups. This was done in response to a Royal Society report that made recommendations about naming the subject area. The new Verification Groups are:

• 288 Information Technology
• 357 Computer Science
• 358 Digital Literacy

While the overall subject area remains "Computing", it is now sub-divided into these sub-groups. We recently updated the definitions that SQA uses for the cognate groups.


This is more than a cosmetic change. For one thing, it will effect External Verification but, perhaps more importantly, it helps us to view the subject area differently from an academic perspective. It also highlights the growing importance of digital literacy and computer science.

These definitions will be maintained here so that you can check the most up-to-date version. Contact me if you have any comments or suggestions about this document or contact Allison Paterson if you have any questions about External Verification.