Questions raised over Scottish Highers pass rate

Schools in Scotland this year were given the option of introducing the new Higher or keeping with the old qualification, with a nationwide roll out of the new Higher commencing in September.

Despite criticisms of the newly introduced maths exam, which the Scottish Qualifications Authority admitted was ‘unusually hard’ and caused them to drop the C pass rate to just 34 per cent, overall the newly introduced qualifications have been questioned for being easier than the older exams.

There was a 76.7 per cent pass rate among the 92,555 candidates who sat the older Higher qualification this summer, compared to 79.2 per cent pass rate for the 107,295 candidates who sat the newer qualification.

The total passes for Higher English increased by 17.7 per cent when compared to last year when every student completed the old version, and modern languages saw an increased A-C pass rate of 15.2 per cent.

Education Secretary Angela Constance praised the results, telling the BBC: "They have worked hard, and I congratulate each and every one of them, as well as the families and carers, and teachers and lecturers who have provided support.

"Scotland has seen record numbers of Higher and Advanced Higher passes. Students are performing particularly well in English and in modern languages."

However, the discrepancy between pass rates for the new and old Highers has prompted calls for ministers to investigate whether the qualifications have been made easier.

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