Exam results 2024 Scotland: What time are exam results released and can I appeal - National 5 English, Maths

The results from this year’s exams will be sent to thousands of school pupils and college students across Scotland on Tuesday.

It will mark the end of an anxious wait for learners and could shape the next steps many of them decide to take in life. Results day can be joyful for those who get the grades they hoped for, but a time of uncertainty for others who can be left rethinking their plans for college or university.

Politicians and the media will also study overall attainment trends and gaps, following a period in which many have questioned the wider performance of Scotland’s education system, and as stalled reforms finally start to take shape.

Ahead of the big day, The Scotsman has taken a look at the key questions many will be asking about Scotland’s exams.

Who is receiving their exam results on Tuesday?

Exams were sat this year by more than 129,000 learners from more than 500 schools, colleges and training providers.

They completed more than two million exam papers and more than 1.3 million items of coursework.

Last year, the largest number of entries were for National 5 English, which was sat by about 49,000 learners, National 5 Mathematics, which had 37,500 entries, and Higher English, which had more than 35,000.

In total, around 145,000 people are expected to receive results on Tuesday, including those who sat a wide range of vocational courses such as Awards, National Certificates, National Progression Awards, and Skills for Work Awards.

How will learners receive their exam results? What time are they released?

Those who sat exams will receive their certificates by first-class post on Tuesday.

A total of 58,000 have signed up and activated their MySQA account, meaning they will also get their results by text and/or email. The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is expected to release results from as early as 8am.

Who marks the exam papers?

Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) marking was carried out by more than 7,000 teachers and college lecturers, and 132 principal assessors, from across Scotland.

Training and guidance is provided to markers before they start the process. They are all part of small teams with a team leader, who works with the markers to ensure consistency, and to monitor standards.

Marks achieved by each candidate on their exam and other assessments, such as coursework, are then added together to give a total mark.

What are grade boundaries?

After marking for a course is completed, and a total mark allocated to each candidate, then grading takes place.

Grade boundary meetings are held for every course involving the senior exam team for each subject, including the principal assessor, who is an experienced subject specialist and teacher or lecturer.

A total of 147 grade boundary meetings were held over five weeks this year. They aim to ensure the course assessment has performed as intended, and the boundaries set essentially determine the minimum marks needed to get an A, B C or D grade.

What is different about this year’s grading system?

The closure of schools for extended periods during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 led to huge disruption for learners.

To take account of the impact, the SQA operated a “generous” grading system in 2022, following the return of exams. Last year, a “sensitive” approach was adopted, which continued to take account of the impact of the pandemic.

This year there is no such approach, although the SQA has said it will consider in grading decisions any impact on learners who have been completing coursework for the first time, following the return of full course assessment this year. It means grading has pretty much returned to pre-pandemic conditions.

Can I appeal my exam results?

Learners will be able to appeal any of their final grades for free.

The appeal system is the same as last year. It basically checks if the exam paper has been marked correctly, but will not consider evidence relating to past performance, such as in in prelim exams.

The SQA was criticised last year over this change, although it was a return to the system used before the pandemic.

Who can help with advice on exam results?

SQA’s candidate advice line will be available on Tuesday from 8am to 6pm, then from Wednesday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm. The line can be reached on 0345 279 1000. Another helpline, run by careers agency Skills Development Scotland, will be staffed from 8am to 8pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 9am to 5pm on Thursday and Friday. Its number is 0808 100 8000.

It has a team of qualified advisers who can offer advice about colleges and universities, UCAS confirmation and clearing, apprenticeships, jobs and other training, volunteering, or staying on at school.

Young people under the age of 19 can get free, confidential support and advice from Childline at www.childline.org.uk or by calling 0800 1111 for free.

What national trends will come under the spotlight on Tuesday?

As with previous years, much focus will be on the overall pass rate. Last year, the proportion of pupils awarded an A, B or C at Higher was 77.1 per cent.

This was a fall from 78.9 per cent in 2022 and 89.3 per cent in 2020, but was still higher than pass rate of 74.8 per cent in 2019, before the pandemic.

There will be interest in whether the pass rate falls again, to pre-Covid levels, following the end of the “generous” and “sensitive” grading system.

The poverty-related attainment gap – the difference between pass rates for pupils from the most and least deprived areas – will also be under scrutiny. Last year, there was a 16 percentage point gap at Higher, up from 14.9 points in 2022, 7.9 points in 2021 and 6.4 points in 2020.

This meant the gap was almost back to the 16.9 per cent gap recorded in 2019, before Covid.