Until the late 1970s most architecture schools in the UK higher education system organised their studio teaching around the so-called 'year-system'. Since then, a majority of architecture schools have followed the example of the Architectural Association in London and adopted a different type of studio teaching, known as the 'unit-system'. This essay compares and contrasts the methodology of the two systems, examines the ethos behind each system, their effectiveness in educating architecture students and their respective ramifications for the architectural profession. The Mackintosh School of Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art is studied as a prominent user of the 'year system'.