As the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) results day approaches, approximately 145,000 pupils across Scotland will eagerly await the arrival of their exam results this Tuesday, August 6th. The results will apply to Nationals, Highers, Advanced Highers, as well as National Progression Awards, Skills for Work Awards and National Certificates. While the results have been sent out via first class post, many of these students will have opted to receive their grades digitally. Text messages and emails will be sent out to candidates with an activated MySQA account from 8 am onwards on results day. However, students who opted to receive their results by post will have to wait until their mail normally arrives.
It’s worth noting that grade boundaries vary from year to year and the exact percentages for 2024 will not be published until results day. However, initial grade boundaries for assessments are set at 50% for a C, 70% for an A and 85% for an Upper A and serve as the starting point for deciding the final grade boundaries.
In the event that students don’t receive the results they were hoping for, the SQA candidate advice line will be open from 8 am on results day until 6 pm and guidance staff at schools will also be available to provide assistance. For those who have a conditional offer for university or college that they do not meet, there is always the option to apply to UCAS’ clearing process, which universities and colleges use to fill vacant slots. Moreover, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will also be providing advice from August 6th to August 9th. Pupils who need assistance or direction can call the SDS results helpline on 0808 100 8000.
In the event that students believed their results to be wrong, they are encouraged to talk to their school or college and submit their own appeal. Appeals are typically subject to a marking review, which includes an investigation of whether the marks have been added up and submitted correctly, and whether the marking meets the nationally established standard. An appeal can be prioritised for those who have a conditional place at college or university, or are receiving training or employment which is dependent upon their grade. The deadline for priority appeals is August 13th and August 27th for other appeals.
In 2023, 39,000 out of 540,920 certificated grades were appealed, with 3,980 appeals resulting in an upgrade and five leading to a downgrade. This means that the success rate of SQA appeals is roughly 10 percent
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