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Pass rates for Scotland’s National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher have increased this year, according to .

Today’s exam results are the first since Qualifications Scotland took over from its predecessor body, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, earlier this year.

The National 5 pass rate this year was 79.2 per cent, up by 0.8 percentage points on 2025; the Higher pass rate was 76.7 per cent, also up by 0.8 percentage points; and the Advanced Higher pass rate was 77.6, up by 0.9 percentage points.

However, pass rates at all levels remain below the pre-pandemic pass rates.

Scottish exam results: attainment gap narrows

The proportion of students who achieved an A rose for National 5 and Higher, to 40.3 per cent (up 1.1 percentage points) and 20.9 per cent (up 0.1 percentage points) respectively. The proportion achieving an A rate in Advanced Higher fell by 0.5 percentage points to 30.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged students - a key measure of success set by the Scottish government - narrowed slightly for each of the three qualifications: from 16.4 percentage points to 15.6 at National 5; from 16.8 percentage points to 15.9 at Higher; and from 13.3 percentage points to 12.1 at Advanced Higher.

There was a 9.1 per cent increase in awards of vocational and technical qualifications, to 120,485, which includes National Progression Awards, National Certificates and Skills for Work.

Scottish education secretary Màiri McAllan said: “These are incredibly positive results across the board, with academic passes up at every level - National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher - as well as record numbers of vocational qualifications.”

“This is testament to the breadth and strength of Scotland’s education system, the professionalism of our teachers and school staff, and the hard work of our young people.”

Ms McAllan added: “It is particularly pleasing to see another narrowing in the attainment gap between the most and least deprived areas. This builds on similar progress in the gaps for literacy and numeracy levels, as well as for the number of young people entering initial positive destinations, which has narrowed by almost two-thirds since 2009-10.”

‘Appetite for skills-based qualifications’

Donna Stewart, Scotland’s chief qualifications and examinations officer, said: “The diversity of qualifications being achieved today is further evidence of the appetite for skills-based, practical qualifications along with traditional subjects, which give learners a variety of options to develop skills and build work experience that employers are looking out for.

“It is encouraging to see the number of vocational and technical qualifications continuing to grow to over 120,000.”

She added: “The results for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses are evidence of the stable state of the awarding system, with assessments working as intended, ensuring that learners were able to demonstrate what they know and can do.”

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