Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 4

Scottish Exam Pass Rates Rise for 130,000 Students as 15.6-Point Poverty Gap Persists

Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 4

Scottish Exam Pass Rates Rise for 130,000 Students as 15.6-Point Poverty Gap Persists

Q: What secret grade boundary adjustments happen behind closed doors before Scottish students finally open their envelopes this Tuesday?

There is no hidden last-minute “fix”; the adjustments are a formal awarding process carried out after marking and before results are issued. Qualifications Scotland starts from notional reference points of 50% for a C, 70% for an A and 85% for an upper A. But those are only starting markers, not the final cut-offs students are judged against. Once scripts are marked, senior examiners meet in June and July to review how candidates performed on the actual paper in each subject and level. At those awarding meetings, boundaries can move up or down subject by subject. If a paper proved harder than intended, the marks needed for an A, B, C or D may be lowered; if it was easier, they may be raised. The stated aim is to keep the standard of each grade consistent from year to year, so that a grade reflects the same level of performance even when papers vary in difficulty. That means there is no single Scottish “pass mark” for Highers or National 5s. Each subject gets its own final A-to-D boundaries for that year. A D remains a pass, typically around the 40-49% range, while below that is a no award. The process is meant to be evidence-led rather than secretive. Qualifications Scotland’s code says standards must be maintained through quality assurance, expert oversight and annual monitoring. The exact boundaries for 2026 are not published in advance and are normally released on or around results day, once the awarding process is complete.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 4

More than 130,000 Scottish pupils received 2026 results showing higher A-to-C pass rates across all main qualifications: National 5 rose to 79.2%, Higher to 76.7%, and Advanced Higher to 77.6%.
The poverty-related attainment gap narrowed slightly but remained wide, with National 5 at 15.6 percentage points after 86.6% of pupils in the least deprived areas passed versus 71% in the most deprived.
Girls again outperformed boys at every level, posting National 5 pass rates of 80.9% against 77.5% for boys and Higher rates of 79% against 74%, while the Advanced Higher gender gap widened.
East Renfrewshire led council areas at National 5 with 90.6% of entries achieving A to C, and private schools stayed above 90% across National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher while state schools remained below 80%.
Students with additional support needs also continued to trail peers, with a National 5 gap of 8.9 points, underscoring persistent inequalities despite the overall improvement in results.