Pass rate drops again as Scottish results day hit by email errors

Pass rates for Scottish exams have dipped again but the number of students gaining a place at university or college has increased by 11 per cent compared with pre-pandemic levels.

Scottish results day was, however, marred for about 7,000 pupils who had opted to receive their results by email but instead were sent messages with blank spaces where their grades should have been.

The Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) apologised for the error and reissued the emails, with some pupils reporting they had received confirmation of their university place before seeing their marks.

About 145,000 students – the highest since 2015 – took qualifications this year. Data released by the SQA shows that the number of pupils receiving an A, B or C grade in Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications has dropped.

Higher A-C attainment fell to 74.9 per cent this year, down from 77.1 per cent in 2023 and 78.9 per cent in 2022. The A-C attainment in Advanced Highers fell from 79.8 per cent in 2023 to 75.3 per cent.

SQA cautioned against drawing “meaningful conclusions” on changes in educational performance because of the “different approaches to awarding in each year since 2019”.

Fiona Robertson, the chief executive of SQA and Scotland’s chief examining officer, noted it was the first year that all courses had returned to “full course assessment” after coursework and exams for some practical subjects were removed temporarily during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This, she said, would help “ensure that learners are equipped with the knowledge and full range of skills needed to support their successful next steps in education, training or employment”.

Education secretary Jenny Gilruth said Scotland’s education system – “like countries the world over” – was still “in recovery from the pandemic”.

“Undoubtedly, that has contributed to some of the variability we have seen in results this year, particularly with the full return to qualifications requirements for the first time since the pandemic,” she said, adding that she was exploring why there had been a “wide degree of variation in results between our 32 local authorities”.

The results were the first indication of how UK universities will fare in what is being seen by many as a “critical” recruitment round because of the financial situation facing many institutions.

Admissions service Ucas said 31,970 Scottish students of all ages gained a place at university or college this year, compared with 30,050 in 2023 and 28,750 in 2019.

A record 20,670 young Scots aged 19 and under were accepted to university or college and 1,950 17- and 18-year-olds from the 20 per cent most deprived postcodes were set to continue with their education. 

Ucas’ chief executive Jo Saxton said the figures demonstrated “the tremendous efforts made to support applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their aspirations and career ambitions”.

She said those reconsidering their options would find 27,000 courses available in clearing across the UK, with 2,800 at Scottish institutions.

Despite concerns about international students being put off UK institutions by the rhetoric of politicians and changes to the visa regime, the number of international students accepted at Scottish universities and colleges slightly increased this year to 3,480, up 3 per cent from 3,370 in 2023.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com