Scottish exam pass rates rise as students find out results
BBCPass rates for Scottish exams have increased as students across the country received their results.
More than 148,000 learners have been finding out the results of their Nationals, Highers, Advanced Highers and Skills for Work Awards.
Qualifications Scotland - which replaced the Scottish Qualifications Authority last year after a number of controversies - said a record number of vocational and technical qualifications were awarded.
Figures show that the poverty-related attainment gap has narrowed compared with last year.
Admissions service Ucas said a record number of Scottish students aged 18 and under had been accepted into university or college. In total, 32,370 Scottish students of all ages secured places, up from 31,850 in 2025.
Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said it was a "proud day" for young people and the education system.
She added: "These are incredibly positive results across the board, with academic passes up at every level as well as record numbers of vocational qualifications.
"This is testament to the breadth and strength of Scotland's education system, the professionalism of our teachers and school staff and the hard work of our young people."
Statistics showed the National 5 pass rate had risen by 0.8% in 2025 to 79.2%this year.
The pass rate for Highers was up 0.8% to 76.7% while Advanced Highers rose by 0.9% to 77.6%.
A record total of 120,485 vocational and technical qualifications were achieved at levels 1-6, an increase of 9.1% compared to 2025.
More than 131,000 people sat exams in over 460 schools, colleges and training centres this year.
The attainment gap between the results achieved by students in the least deprived parts of Scotland and those in the most deprived closed a little in this year's figures - but still remains significant.
At Nat 5, the gap is 15.6 percentage points, down from 16.4%. The gap is the difference between the 86.6% of better-off students who got A to C grades this year, compared to 71% of those in the most deprived areas.
At Higher, the gap is 15.9 percentage points, down from 16.8 last year, and at Advanced Higher it is 12.1, down from 13.3.
Donna Stewart, chief qualifications and examinations officer, praised learners for their hard work and commitment.
"The rise in overall attainment at all three National Qualification levels and the increasing attainment in vocational and technical qualifications will rightly be welcomed in classrooms and staff rooms across Scotland," she said.
"The diversity of qualifications being achieved today is evidence of the appetite for skills-based, practical qualifications along with traditional subjects."
Opposition politicians said more needed to be done to improve outcomes for young people.
Scottish Labour's education spokeswoman Katherine Sangster welcomed the improvement in results, but said there was "no room for complacency".
"No child should be held back by their postcode or their background, but it's clear far more must be done to tackle the damaging inequalities in our education system," she said.
Scottish Conservative MP Andrew Bowie said "plummeting teacher numbers and spiralling levels of school violence" had made it a difficult year for pupils.
He added: "This has created a challenging environment for pupils to get the grades they hoped for, which is why they deserve a huge amount of credit for achieving great results.
"However, it's clear some pupils are still facing a postcode lottery when it comes to educational achievement."
The Scottish Greens called for "high-stakes exams" to be replaced with continuous assessment.
Laura Moodie, the party's education spokeswoman, said: "We need an education system that recognises achievement throughout the year, not just on exam day."
Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Duncan Dunlop said: "The new education secretary needs to address the teacher job mismatch, make sure kids are learning skills that equip them for the future and finally deliver on efforts to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap."
Getty ImagesThe Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country's largest teaching union, said the results were "testament to the hard work of learners and their teachers alike".
General secretary Andrea Bradley said: "They should all be proud of their achievements, and we should all be equally proud of them for their hard work and the results that they have achieved."
She added that the "persistence" of the attainment gap was "a huge concern as well as a huge challenge".
This year's exam results are the first under Scotland's new exams body, Qualifications Scotland.
The organisation replaced the Scottish Qualifications Authority, which was scrapped after a series of controversies, including the downgrading of some students during the Covid pandemic.
'It is a great relief'
In the Borders, Hawick High School's head boy Aleksander got As in all five of his Highers and now hopes to study medicine.
"It is a great relief," he said.
"I am doing three Advanced Highers now in sixth year and if they go to plan I will hopefully get into Edinburgh University to study medicine.
"I really wasn't sure I would get As – particularly in Maths as I didn't like the exam, but it turned out to be my best result."
Andrii Lutsyk, 18, has spent the last year studying an HNC in social sciences with criminology at North East Scotland College.
He achieved an A in his final HNC grade and now plans to study history at the University of Edinburgh after the summer.
Andrii, who arrived in Aberdeen in 2022 as a Ukrainian refugee and hopes to return one day, said: "I am quite surprised with my grade.
"I am very happy and very proud of myself and everyone who has been helping me through this long journey."
What next if you don't get the grades you were looking for?
If you have a conditional offer for university or college that you don't meet, you can apply to Ucas' clearing process, external, which is used by universities and colleges to fill empty places.
Skills Development Scotland (SDS), the agency which supports training and skills for work, will also operate an advice line on 0808 100 8000.
It will be open from 08:00 to 20:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 09:00 to 17:00 on Thursday and Friday.
Advisers will be able to offer guidance on vacancies at colleges and universities; the clearing system for universities; apprenticeships; jobs; volunteering; or staying on at school.
