Scottish exam results 2026: Pass rates rise again

Good news for Scotland’s pupils

More than 148,000 learners received their Nationals, Highers, Advanced Highers and Skills for Work Awards on Tuesday, as Qualifications Scotland reported a record number of vocational and technical qualifications awarded.

What the Scottish exam results 2026 show

The National 5 pass rate rose 0.8% to 79.2%, Highers climbed 0.8% to 76.7% and Advanced Highers were up 0.9% to 77.6%. A record 120,485 vocational and technical qualifications were achieved at levels 1 to 6, up 9.1% on 2025.

According to BBC News, the poverty-related attainment gap narrowed compared with both last year and 2019, though at National 5 it still stands at 15.6 percentage points.

"These are incredibly positive results across the board, with academic passes up at every level 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."

Education Secretary Màiri McAllan

Admissions service Ucas said a record number of Scottish students had been accepted into university or college. For anyone in the mood to test themselves, you can always try a GCSE maths quiz to see how sharp your own exam brain still is.