Fewer than two in five Scottish pupils are passing maths, English and STEM subjects
New figures looking at the whole cohort of Scottish pupils shows a mixed result in the basics of maths, English and STEM subjects
Fewer than two in five Scottish pupils are passing maths, English and STEM subjects at National 5 level, new figures have revealed.
Exam pass rates have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels with maths and STEM particularly hard hit.
While there has been an overall improvement in National 5 English, the percentage of the S4 cohort passing each of the main sciences has fallen over time.
The pass rates should be “of deep concern to us all”, a former head teacher said.
Carole Ford, former head of Kilmarnock Academy, a former Principal Teacher of Maths, and member of the Commission on School Reform, said: “We are talking here about a generation of children whose outcomes have been suppressed because there is no national push towards academic excellence.”
Data sourced under freedom of information requests showed fewer than 40 per cent of pupils achieved an A-C pass in English and maths.
It was requested by the Commission on School Reform, the education arm of the independent think tank Enlighten.
The A-C pass rates in STEM subjects in 2026 continued to be low, and they were still below the level recorded before the pandemic.
While the Scottish government publishes details of the pass rates of pupils who sit exams, the Commission asked for figures for the whole cohort.
“Most exam data is presented by the Government as a success, but that is based on those who take the exam,” Ms Ford said.
“This is much more revealing and accurate data, because it measures all pupils, not just those who sit the examination.
“We must stop sweeping the realities of school performance under the carpet. We have an obligation to ourselves and to future generations to face up to our problems.”
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The proportion of S4 entries in National 5 English achieving an A-C pass has fallen from 91.2 per cent in 2015 to 89.8 per cent in 2026.
However, the actual overall proportion of the S4 cohort passing Nat 5 English has increased from 65.3 per cent to 78.3 per cent.
The cohort figure shows there has been improvement in Nat 5 English.
In contrast, the percentage of the S4 cohort passing each of the main sciences has fallen over time.
Pupils who do not pass a STEM subject at Nat 5 in S4 will be unable to sit the Higher in S5 and so career options such as becoming a scientist or medic will be ruled out without further study.
Scottish Labour Education spokesperson Katherine Sangster said the figures should be a “real wake-up call” for the Scottish Government.
“For years teachers have been raising the alarm about the impact of government failure to address the issues STEM teacher recruitment and retention,” she said.
“If we are to equip a generation for the opportunities and challenges of the green industrial revolution then we must address how few pupils are sitting and passing STEM subjects – that the numbers are this low is genuinely appalling.
“Instead of addressing these issues head on in the Programme for Government, the SNP has buried their head in the sand and offered no solutions. It’s time for the SNP government to step up and show some ambition for our young people.”
The data found 39.7 per cent of pupils received an A-C pass in mathematics compared with 44.5 per cent in 2019; 26.2 per cent passed biology compared with 29.4 per cent in 2019; and 21.3 per cent passed chemistry compared with 25.1 per cent in 2019.
The data also found a decrease in pass rates in physics, 17.9 per cent compared with 20.1 per cent in 2019, and computing science – down to 8.8 per cent compared to 9.3 per cent in 2019.
The data shows overall A-C pass rates for English climbed to 78.3 per cent from 74.6 per cent in 2019.
However, the proportion achieving an A-C pass in both English and maths was 38.9 per cent – down from 42.9 per cent in 2019.
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher MSP said: “This blows apart the SNP’s belief that Scotland’s education system is performing well.
“While SNP ministers shamelessly spin carefully selected figures as evidence of success, the reality is that fewer than two-in-five pupils are passing National 5 Maths and STEM results remain below pre-pandemic levels.”
Calling the figures a “damning indictment” of the education system, Ms Gallacher added referenced the poverty related attainment gap as being “still stubbornly wide”.
“After 19 years in power, SNP ministers have run out of people to blame and excuses to hide behind,” she said.
“Parents and pupils deserve the truth, not more SNP spin, and ministers must urgently get a grip on standards before another generation is failed.”
“The approach taken towards measuring achievement in exam results in Scotland is long established and well understood.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said:
“It is important to note that not all pupils take their National 5s in S4.
“It is more appropriate to measure attainment at the point of leaving school rather than in a single year, as we do in our annual school leaver attainment statistics.
“Pass rates for National 5, Highers and Advanced Highers increased this year, including a record number of National 5 passes.
“Learners also achieved a record number of vocational and technical qualifications, up by 121 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.”
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