IT WAS a scene repeated around Scotland yesterday morning: tens of thousands of teenagers all waiting nervously to receive their exam results.
Whether it was by post, e-mail or even text message, the sense of expectancy was the same. And with record pass rates recorded, for many it was worth the wait.
Angus Maidment had the delight of sweeping the board with an A in each of his Highers.
The 17-year-old, from Edinburgh, who had worried for months about his English exam, breathed a sigh of relief when his fears of a bad result proved unfounded.
"I was really worried about my English because I found literature quite difficult," he said. "But when I opened the envelope it was a pretty sweet feeling."
With his other A-grades in maths, chemistry, physics and French, the Boroughmuir High School student has set his sights on studying natural sciences at Cambridge University.
His achievements came in what has been described as a "vintage year" for exam results. Both Standard Grade and Highers saw marked increases in the passes, erasing last year's slight dip, when the pass rate fell for the first time in four years.
This year's results were also distinguished by the manner in which they were delivered. About 20,000 students had signed up to having theirs arrive by e-mail or text message.
Emma Strang, 17, a pupil at Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen, chose the electronic route, removing the nailbiting wait for the postman.
At 8am she was woken by her mobile phone beeping, bringing her the good news via text message. She was over the moon to find she had achieved straight A-grades in all her Highers.
She gained top marks in all her subjects, including art and design, chemistry, English, maths and physics. Emma now hopes to study art at the University of Edinburgh.
She said: "I got my results through text about five past eight this morning. I got five 'A's, but I wasn't expecting it because I didn't do anywhere near as well as that in the prelims.
"I found English quite difficult. I thought it was quite an awkward paper this year."
Christie Docherty, 16, also opted to receive her results by text, and when her phone beeped it delivered the best possible news: five A-grades at Higher in maths, English, chemistry, physics and French.
The results mean that Christie, who attends St Ninian's High School in Giffnock, took a step closer to achieving her dream of becoming a doctor.
She said: "I was so thrilled this morning when I got the results. It was a nice way to start the day. I was really worried about English and I knew I needed all 'A's to study medicine.
"I'm going to study advanced maths, chemistry and physics next year, and I'll have to do a crash course in biology.
"It has been a lot of hard work and now I am just looking forward to a break."
Better exam results down to 'improved training for teachers'IMPROVED training for teachers in how to secure better results for pupils is likely to be behind an increase in examination pass rates, it was claimed yesterday.
A leading parent-teacher group said pupils were becoming better equipped to sit both Highers and Standard Grades.
The claim came as the Scottish Qualifications Authority dismissed suggestions that exam papers were being made easier.
Judith Gillespie, development manager at the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said extra training courses run by the SQA were largely responsible for the improved pass rate.
Both Standard Grade and Highers saw marked increases in the passes, erasing last year's slight dip, when the pass rate fell for the first time in four years.
This year's results were also distinguished by the manner in which they were delivered. About 20,000 students had signed up to having theirs arrive by e-mail or text message.
Results published yesterday showed that the overall pass rate for Highers rose from 71.7 per cent the previous year to 73.4 per cent. More students are also obtaining Standard Grades, with the pass rate rising from 97.6 per cent to 98 per cent.
Janet Brown, chief executive of the SQA, was forced to rebut claims that the exams were getting easier.
She said: "We've had excellent results, which has shown the robust, strong Scottish education system.
"We have seen a small increase in the percentage of passes this time, and I think that reflects the hard work that the candidates have been putting in and also the work of the teachers and others who have been supporting the students in terms of getting their qualifications."
Ms Gillespie said: "I don't think the exams have become any easier in the last few years, as such, although I don't think there's any doubt they are easier than they were 20 or 30 years ago in terms of the questions that are being set.
"There have been small percentage increases over the last few years in the main subjects.
"However, I think that is as a result of teachers becoming much more comfortable with the exam system and we are seeing more of the right kind of teaching that produces the best results.
"The SQA has run lots more training courses over the last few years and teachers are becoming more adept in knowing what they are looking for."
However, Brian Boyd, professor of education at Strathclyde University, said a "radical" overhaul of the current examination was urgently needed.
Prof Boyd said: "I don't think there has been any dumbing down of exams, but we do definitely need to look at whether the current crop of examinations are fit for purpose, which I don't think they are.
"There needs to be a radical look at the entire examination system."
The full article contains 985 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
