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Different banknote designs

Study note

Although the pound sterling is used everywhere in the UK, the banknotes do not all look the same. Most notes are issued by the Bank of England, but some banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland are allowed to print their own banknotes with their own different designs.

These Scottish and Northern Irish notes are still pounds sterling. They are not a separate currency, and they are valid across the whole of the UK, so they can be spent anywhere in the country just like Bank of England notes. The designs differ, but the value and the currency are the same.

For the test, the part of the UK where banks can issue their own note designs is Scotland and Northern Ireland, not England and Wales and not the Channel Islands. And it is true that these notes remain valid pounds sterling throughout the UK.

Memory tip: Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own note designs, but they are still pounds.

Practise this topic

Question 1 of 2

Where in the UK can banks issue banknotes with their own different designs?

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Show all questions and answers for Different banknote designs(2 questions with explanations)

Different banknote designs: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. Where in the UK can banks issue banknotes with their own different designs?

    • The Channel Islands only
    • Nowhere, all notes look identical
    • England and Wales only
    • Scotland and Northern Ireland

    Correct answer: Scotland and Northern Ireland

    Some banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland issue their own banknote designs.

  2. 2. Banknotes issued by banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland are still pounds sterling and valid across the UK.

    • True
    • False

    Correct answer: True

    True. Scottish and Northern Irish notes are pounds sterling and accepted across the UK.

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