Strong results in 2017 SQA exams

Exam results arrived this week by e-mail, text and post – ending the long wait for pupils, parents and teachers.

And both South and North Lanarkshire have recorded a strong performance.

In South Lanarkshire, results showed increases in all areas compared with previous years, whilst North Lanarkshire also did well, particularly in S5 and S6.

The results for 2017 in South Lanarkshire show that 43.8 per cent of pupils attained five or more National 5 awards, a slight increase from 43.1 per cent in 2016.

In S5, the percentage of pupils attaining three or more Highers increased from 35.9 per cent in 2016 to 38.3 per cent in 2017.

Similarly, the figure for those attaining five or more Highers increased from 17.1 per cent in 2016 to 18.3 per cent in 2017.

Performances by the end of S6 were particularly notable, with 46 percent of pupils attaining three or more Highers, an increase of 1.3 per cent on the previous year, and 31.7 per cent attaining five or more Highers, which was a slight increase from 30.7 per cent in 2016.

Tony Mcdaid, executive director of education in South Lanarkshire, said:“i offer my congratulations to all this year’s candidates on their achievements.

“Early indications are that young people in South Lanarkshire have performed very well and results across all areas continue to improve.

“This is testament to the hard work of the pupils and their teachers and the levels of support provided by parents and carers and clearly demonstrates that our young people have high ambitions and are achieving success.

“While the majority will receive the grades they were hoping for, we should also remember that even if there has been some disappointment there is always support and guidance on hand to help everyone build on their achievements in a positive way.”

The overall picture in North Lanarkshire highlights that 41.8 per cent of candidates were successful in attaining five or more National 5 awards at SCQF Level 5, a slight increase from 41.3 per cent from last year and 5 per cent rise from 2014.

Results for S5 and S6 pupils continued to improve, in some cases doubling the achievement of Highers and Advanced Highers over the past 10 years.

The success of pupils in S5 and S6 across North Lanarkshire has been credited to the senior phase work led by the education service, which resulted in secondary schools working together and sharing resources to increase the range of options for pupils.