Exam results show Aberdeen schools continue to improve

08 August 2017

SQA examination results out today (Tuesday 08 August) reveals that young people in Aberdeen schools are performing well with overall pass rates sustained.

This year (2017) saw 3,584 pupils sitting exams compared to 3,730 pupils in 2016. There were 17,526 exam entries in 2017 compared to 18,150 entries in 2016 which is line with smaller school roll figures in the 2016/17 academic year.

There has been a significant improvement of S4 pupils attaining 5 or more awards (A-C) at National 5. Since 2015, there has been a 3.58% increase in S4 pupils attaining 5 or more National 5 awards (A-C). There has also been an overall improvement of 2.73% in 5 or more awards at Higher 6 at the end of S5 with 16.53% in 2017 compared with13.8% in 2016.

Attainment in S4 English National 5 shows a notable increase in of 2.8% in the pass rate (A-C) from 88.9% in 2016 to 91.7% in 2017.

All candidates presented for the Scottish Baccalaureate in 2017 achieved a pass.

Director of Education and Children's Services Gayle Gorman said: "I am delighted to see this steady and sustained improvement across important measures, including the attainment of our most vulnerable care experienced young people in achieving an overall pass rate of 98% across all examinations entered.

The S4 Maths National 5 pass rate (A-C) for 2017 is 71.3% compared to 75.2% in 2016. However at Higher level, there is an improvement of 2.1% in Higher Maths at the end of S5 of 81.5% in 2017 from 79.4% in 2016.

Ms Gorman added: “This sustained improvement in attainment levels reflects the level of professional commitment shown every day by our class teachers, schools’ leadership and support staff. I am grateful for their outstanding contributions in ensuring the future is bright for the children and young people in Aberdeen.”

Aberdeen City Council Leader, Councillor Jenny Laing said: “I would like to congratulate the very many young people who have been successful in this year’s examinations. They are a credit to their schools, and their families. I would also like to thank the staff in our schools for their hard work and their commitment to supporting children and young people in our schools as we continue to experience the challenges of recruiting teachers in the North East. Despite these difficulties over a number of years, attainment in Aberdeen has been maintained and has shown some real improvement across a number of measures."