Pictured: Pupils from Bo'ness Academy (left to right) Eva Miller Watt, who will start a Modern Apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering at Forth Valley College, Mate Novak who will study Medicine at Edinburgh University, and Morven Nash who is set to study Photography at the City of Glasgow College

This year marks the second return to traditional exams following the Covid-19 restrictions, and the results highlight a good overall performance by senior pupils.

 An initial analysis of the results shows several positive trends:

• Level 3 awards in S4 are consistent with last year and higher than pre-Covid levels in 2019.
• Level 4 awards in S4 have improved compared to 2019 pre-Covid levels.
• Level 5 awards in S4 are better than last year's results and are comparable to pre-Covid levels.
• Level 6 awards are in line with last year’s performance.
• Level 7 awards have exceeded pre-Covid levels.

Councillor Iain Sinclair, spokesperson for Education, said:

"Congratulations to all our young people who received their SQA exam results today. You should be very proud of the hard work you have put in and what you have achieved. We also recognise the wide variety of achievements that take place throughout the year as schools provide a broad range of pathways for learners enabling our young people to achieve positive destinations. Praise, too, must be given to the teachers, parents and carers who have taught, encouraged, and supported you to achieve your personal best.”

Pictured: (left to right) Eva, Cllr Sinclair, Mate, and Morven.

 The education landscape has changed significantly due to Covid-19, influencing the approach to senior phase SQA awards:

• In 2020, the Alternative Certification Model relied on teachers' professional judgment, supported by the SQA algorithm.
• In 2021, provisional awards were confirmed as final grades without the SQA algorithm.
• In 2022, a full exam diet was reintroduced with course modifications.
• In 2023, the full exam diet continued with course modifications.
• In 2024, the full exam diet proceeded without course modifications.

The results are the first snapshot of attainment and achievement for the 2023/24 session. A comprehensive analysis of the overall attainment will be conducted when the Insight School Leavers Data is published in February. This analysis will include SQA results, HNCs, apprenticeships and other qualifications and information about the destinations of our school leavers.