Exam pass rates slump to lowest level since before the pandemic in Scotland with grades dropping for third year in a row – as A-level pupils in England are set to collect results

• Higher level A to C grades dropped to 77.1pc, compared with 79.8pc last year
• But the Scottish Conservatives blamed the slump on ’16 years’ of ‘SNP neglect’ 

Exam pass rates have slumped to their lowest level since before the pandemic, with attainment falling for the third year in a row.

The decline was revealed after more than 140,000 Scots pupils received the results of their National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams yesterday.

While pass rates were up on 2019, grades dropped for the third successive year in the wake of the pandemic and learning being disrupted by teachers’ strikes.

The attainment gap between children from deprived areas and affluent backgrounds also widened. Opposition leaders have blamed the fall in performance on ‘SNP neglect’.

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘While pupils and teachers have done their bit, it is impossible to ignore the impact on Scotland’s education system of 16 years of SNP neglect.

Exam pass rates have slumped to their lowest level since before the pandemic, with attainment falling for the third year in a row

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Liam Kerr (pictured) blamed the drop on ’16 years of SNP neglect’

READ MORE: Tens of thousands of students will miss out on university places with 100,000 fewer top A-level grades expected to be awarded compared to last year as results return to pre-pandemic levels

‘The widening attainment gap should be a source of shame for ministers – pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have been let down year after year by the SNP.

‘For a government that claims to be progressive, it represents an abject and shameful failure.

‘Under the SNP, our schools are chronically underfunded and teachers have been stretched to breaking point.

‘There is a £155million black hole in the education budget and now the threat of further strikes looms large.’ He said these factors were taking a ‘toll’ on pupils and teachers.

Attainment of A to C grades at Higher level dropped to 77.1 per cent, compared with 79.8 per cent last year.

The figure had been 87.3 per cent in 2021, 89.3 per cent in 2020 and 74.8 per cent in 2019.

There was a similar trend at Advanced Higher level, with 79.8 per cent attaining A to C grades, down from 81.3 per cent in 2022, 90.2 per cent in 2021 and 93.1 per cent in 2020. The figure was 79.4 per cent in 2019.

But Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth (pictured) said there was ‘much to celebrate’ about the results

In National 5 qualifications, 78.8 per cent achieved the A-C pass rate – just a fraction higher than the 78.3 per cent seen in 2019.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority said it had taken a ‘sensitive approach’ to marking in recognition that ‘learning and teaching are still in the recovery phase from the pandemic’.

Its chief executive, Fiona Robertson, said: ‘Our sensitive approach to awarding this year was developed with and supported by the education community. It has given learners the best chance of performing to the best of their abilities.’

The difference in those achieving A to C grades in the most and least deprived areas soared to 16 percentage points for 2023 – up from 14.9 last year.

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Willie Rennie said: ‘If the SNP worked as hard as young people, we may not have such a wide poverty-related attainment gap.’

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: ‘There is much to celebrate in what is another strong set of results showing a clear and continuing recovery from the pandemic, with pass rates at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher above the 2019 pre-pandemic level, a record number of passes at National 5 and the highest number of vocational and technical qualifications ever awarded.’

Higher education minister Graeme Dey said a record number of Scottish applicants had gained university places, including 29,220 at Scottish institutions.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail had to apologise after students in the Highlands and islands were sent their results a day early.

Source: Read Full Article