Executive welcomes improved Scottish results
Results published on Tuesday show that pass rates for Scotland’s Higher and Standard Grade exams have gone up “virtually across the board”.
The Higher English pass rate is up just under five per cent to 64 per cent, though this comes after a 5.5 per cent dip in 2003. The Higher Maths pass rate is up one per cent to 67.8 per cent.
The overall Higher pass rate now stands at 70.7 per cent, with the Standard Grade pass rate at 97.2 per cent.
Girls’ achievement at Higher level continues to outstrip boys, with a 10 per cent higher pass rate for girls.
Scottish Education Minister Peter Peacock said: “The international evidence is that Scotland is one of the top performing education systems in the world.
“But we are not complacent and will build on this success by investing in more teachers and new schools.
“There is a great deal for young people to be proud of in today’s results and for Scotland to be proud of. We have maintained tough and high
standards in our exam system which is the envy of many countries and we are seeing performance year-on-year moving in the right direction. This is down to strong political support and hard work by pupils, teachers and parents.”
The chief executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), Anton Colella, also welcomed the results. He said: “These results show that more candidates are achieving more in a stable and reliable system, and that is all good news for Scotland.”
