Tuesday August 6th 2024
Newbattle High School pupil Daisy Fiennes.
Exam results published today show that more Midlothian pupils were presented for SQA exams than ever before.
A total of 12,769 Midlothian pupils, including Newbattle pupil Daisy Fiennes pictured, sat either National, Higher or Advanced Highers in 2024 with 80.45% gaining a pass at A-C.
A total of 36.47% of S4 pupils gained 5 or more National 5 at A-C, up by 0.29% from last year.
A total of 53.1% of S5 pupils in Midlothian passed one or more Highers in 2024, up 5.85% from last year, with 30.66% of Midlothian pupils gaining three or more Highters and 13.73% achieving five or more Highers.
Performance at S6 was very similar to last year and remains above pre-pandemic levels.
Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Ellen Scott said:
“I can still remember the stress of sitting exams and then waiting on the results – a good few summers ago now! I really hope our young people are getting the passes they wanted – but if things didn’t quite work out as planned, there is plenty of support and information on the SQA website and at your school, including careers, health and wellbeing advice. This is the start of your journey, there will be many more opportunities for you to study in the future.”
Christine Grahame MSP has congratulated students across the Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale area.
Ms Grahame, herself a former secondary school teacher, also welcomed news a record number of 17 and 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have secured a place at university or college this year.
Ms Grahame said:
“After no doubt a nervous wait for their results, today is a chance to celebrate the achievements of our young people; all the more impressive given the significant disruption to their learning at the end of primary school and start of secondary school due to the Covid pandemic.
“It is fantastic news that a record 20,670 young Scots have been accepted at university or college, up 5% from last year and a massive 24% from 2019, and that the proportion of the most disadvantaged Scottish 18-year-olds getting a place has risen to 15.4% this year, up from 14.6% in 2023.
“Among those achievements, I’m also really heartened to see a record high 90,045 vocational or technical qualifications have been awarded across Scotland this year, up almost a quarter on 2023’s results, reflecting the wide range of opportunities available to students.”
With this year marking the return of full coursework assessment following the disruption during the pandemic, the data published by the SQA shows the pass rates across Scotland for Advanced Highers are 75.3%, Highers are 74.9% and 77.2% at National 5 level.
A record 90,045 vocational and technical qualifications have been awarded this year, an increase of almost 25% on 2024.
Anyone who did not receive the results they had hoped for, or who is unsure about their next steps, should get in touch with the SDS exam helpline on 0800 100 8000 for access to expert careers advice.
Students can also access the SQA’s free and direct appeals service will give them the right to request a review of their marked exam papers or coursework for their National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher results this year.
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