Scottish Exam Results Out Today

Nearly 160,000 school pupils across Scotland are receiving their examination results today.

The BBC reported that pass rates at both Higher and Standard Grade level have increased overall, while the numbers receiving the highest grades have also gone up – good news!

Gone are the days when everyone was stuck waiting patiently for the sound of the postman’s steps (I was one of them), as nearly 30,000 students will receive their grades by e-mail or text message; I can see this number increasing year on year.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said the pass rate for those sitting Highers rose 0.8 percentage point to 74.2%. For Standard Grade pupils, 98.5% received a pass, up from 98% in 2008.

The total number of exams being sat overall was down by 8,225, with the biggest falls in Standard Grade. The drop was put down to falling school rolls and more pupils taking Intermediate and Access qualifications instead. However, the numbers sitting Higher and Advanced Higher exams increased to its highest level for five years.

Despite the increases, there were falls in the numbers achieving passes in Standard Grade subjects such as Construction, Gaelic and French, which fell 6.4%, 3.1% and 2.1% respectively.

Scotland's Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the results were a testament to the abilities of Scotland's youngsters and a cause for optimism in the nation's economic future.
She said: "These results clearly demonstrate that our young people have high ambitions and are achieving success.

"By continuing to support Scotland's reputation for skills and learning, today's results will help to make Scotland the place to do business even in these difficult economic times."

Well something positive to discuss today, good luck to anyone who is receiving their results today - hope you get the results you need.