Thousands to toast results after record number of Higher passes
But gap in success between old and new exams ‘raises questions’
TENS of thousands of pupils across Scotland will be celebrating today as they receive their exam results.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) revealed that record numbers of candidates have been awarded a Higher with 156,000 passes this year, up more than five per cent on 2014.
A total of 107,295 pupils sat new Highers, which were introduced as part of wider Curriculum for Excellence refor ms, while a further 92,555 pupils sat the existing Highers. Pass rates were 79.2 per cent and 76.7 per cent respectively.
Overall, almost 143,000 students will receive their exam results for a range of qualifications including National 4, National 5 and Advanced Highers.
However, despite the positive trend at Higher there was concern after it emerged that the overall number of pupils sitting exams dropped by nearly 19,000 – or 2.6 per cent – in 2015.
The decline is because fewer pupils are sitting exams under the move from Standard Grades to the new National 4 and National 5 qualifications.
Previously, pupils sat Standard Grades over two years, but the new qualifications are designed to be taken in one year, meaning some schools are unable to timetable more than six subjects.
Education Secretary Angela Constance said the decline was expected because of a dip in school rolls and the changing pathways for pupils. She added: “Although we are still in a transition phase to the new qualifications I do not think pupils are missing out.”
There was also concern over the impact of the dual running of new and old Highers, introduced after some schools asked for a delay because they did not feel ready.
While overall pass rates are broadly similar between old and new Highers, the proportion of pupils achieving A grades is markedly different in some subjects.
The most high profile example is the controversial new maths Higher, but the difference is replicated in other subjects.
For example, 30 per cent of candidates taking the old physics Higher achieved an A grade compared to less than 24 per cent in the new Higher.
More than 30 per cent of candidates taking the former chemistry Higher achieved an A grade compared to just 22 per cent for the new Higher. In Higher English, however, candidates who took the new exam were more likely to achieve better grades.
A Scottish Government spokesman said comparing pass rates between the new and the existing Highers was “extremely complex” because exams were studied by different groups of learners.
Scottish Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said: “The gap in attainment between the old and new Highers will raise questions.”
Liz Smith, young people spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservative Party, added: “The Scottish Government must not lose sight of the fact there is still a significant attainment gap between pupils from poorer and wealthier backgrounds.”
Liam McArthur, Scottish LibDems’ spokesman, said the results had been achieved “despite the Government’s approach to curriculum reform, not because of it”.