tracym
08-10-2021, 06:54 PM
The percentage of pupils achieving A grades hit a record high this year as the pass rate for Scottish school qualifications dropped slightly.
Formal exams were cancelled for the second year running due to Covid-19, with grades based on teacher judgement.
The percentage of pupils achieving A to C grades in their Highers fell from 89.3% in 2020 to 87.3% in 2021.
But that total is still significantly above the 75% pass rate from 2019, and a record high number of awards overall.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said pupils had delivered "a strong set of results, achieved under extraordinary circumstances".
A total of 90.2% of Advanced Higher candidates achieved a pass, down from 93.1% in 2020, while National 5 scores dropped from 89% to 85.8%.
'I'm going into S6 and have never done a proper exam'
What do Scotland's results tell us?
SQA chief defends 'assessments' replacing exams
However, the percentage of students who got an A grade in Higher and Advanced Higher courses leapt by around 20 percentage points from pre-pandemic levels.
A total of 47.6% of Higher candidates achieved an A grade, compared to 40% in 2020 and 28.3% in 2019, when traditional exams were used.
In Advanced Higher courses, 51% of pupils got an A, up from 46.3% in 2020 and 31.8% in 2019. In National 5s, the figure rose from 42.3% in 2020 to 46.7% this year, up from 35.1% in 2019.
Formal exams were cancelled for the second year running due to Covid-19, with grades based on teacher judgement.
The percentage of pupils achieving A to C grades in their Highers fell from 89.3% in 2020 to 87.3% in 2021.
But that total is still significantly above the 75% pass rate from 2019, and a record high number of awards overall.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said pupils had delivered "a strong set of results, achieved under extraordinary circumstances".
A total of 90.2% of Advanced Higher candidates achieved a pass, down from 93.1% in 2020, while National 5 scores dropped from 89% to 85.8%.
'I'm going into S6 and have never done a proper exam'
What do Scotland's results tell us?
SQA chief defends 'assessments' replacing exams
However, the percentage of students who got an A grade in Higher and Advanced Higher courses leapt by around 20 percentage points from pre-pandemic levels.
A total of 47.6% of Higher candidates achieved an A grade, compared to 40% in 2020 and 28.3% in 2019, when traditional exams were used.
In Advanced Higher courses, 51% of pupils got an A, up from 46.3% in 2020 and 31.8% in 2019. In National 5s, the figure rose from 42.3% in 2020 to 46.7% this year, up from 35.1% in 2019.