Pupils across Scotland to receive exam results

The pass rate for exams in Scotland has risen slightly on last year, it has been announced.

Young people across the country are receiving their results - although mail deliveries to some island communities have been delayed due to Storm Floris.

The number of pupils achieving an A, B or C grade at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher was up across the board when compared with last year.

The SQA also reported a reduction in the attainment gap between candidates from the most and least deprived areas.

More than 147,000 candidates are getting their marks for those qualifications, as well as Skills for Work Awards, National Progression Awards and National Certificates.

Admissions service Ucas said a record number of young Scots had been offered university or college places.

The number of pupils with an A, B or C for National 5 qualifications rose from 77.2% last year to 78.4% this year.

The rate for Higher increased from 74.9% to 75.9%, while the rate for Advanced Higher rose from 75.3% to 76.7%.

The pass rates for National 5 and Highers were similar to pre-pandemic levels.

However, the number of students receiving the same grades in Advanced Higher was 3% lower than in 2019.

The SQA said the attainment gap – between the level of qualifications achieved by children from the most affluent and the least affluent areas – narrowed at National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher levels.

The difference in attainment of A to C grades between pupils from the most deprived and least deprived areas stood at 16.6% for National 5 qualifications, 12.8% for Higher and 17.1% for Advanced Higher.

Ucas said 17,350 university and college places had been accepted by 17 and 18-year-olds, up from 16,650 last year.

However, the total number of applicants from Scotland who secured a place at university fell slightly from 31,970 last year to 31,850 this year as a result of a drop in mature student applications.

The number of young people from the most deprived areas who secured university or college places increased by more than 1,000, rising to 2,060.

Ucas said 3,660 students from overseas had been given places - an increase of 180 on last year.

Ahead of results day, Royal Mail had warned that deliveries of certificates to the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Arran and Shetland could face delays due to weather disruption.

Despite some delays, most certificates were expected to be delivered on Tuesday.

SQA emails and texts were unaffected, though some pupils reported delays in receiving their digital results.

The SQA's Candidate Advice Line is open from 08:00 to 18:00 on Tuesday, then open between 08:30 and 17:00 from Wednesday to Friday.

Further advice can be found on the SQA website.

A Skills Development Scotland helpline will offer advice to anyone with questions about the next steps in their education.