Pass rates have dropped for Scottish Highers but has risen for the National 5 qualifications. More than 133,000 students are finding out their exam results in Scotland and 60,000 have chosen to find out by text and/or email.
A total of 185,914 pupils sat Higher exams this year and 138,972 (72.8% have achieved a A to C pass mark, this is down by 76.8% in 2018. Also the number of students sitting Advanced Highers has decreased from 24,331 to 23,460 and past rated have fell from 80.5% to 79.4% over the last year.
For students that took the National 5 exams (more academically advanced qualifications), the pass rate increased from 77.4% last year to 78.2% in 2019.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “I am pleased to see an overall rise in the pass rate for National 5 with increases in passes for maths and English. At Higher level we have seen a welcome upturn in the collective number of passes for the sciences – something we have focused our efforts on for some time.
“Our learners now have a much wider range of choice than ever before, allowing them to find the route into employment or further education that is right for them.
“This year for the first time we saw the removal of unit assessments at Higher level, a move that was broadly supported by the education sector. If the pass rate only ever went up people would rightly question the robustness of our assessment system.
“We need to continue to ensure teachers have the right support in place to help them provide the best learning and teaching experiences for our young people.”
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is running a helpline to provide information for students, parents and carers. It will be open from 08:00 to 20:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday, then from 09:00 until 17:00 on weekdays until 14 August. It can be contacted on 0808 100 8000.
