SQA results 2025

[motheronthedancefloor]

Starting a results thread early, and the last one I'll do as DD has now left school!

DD has an unconditional offer for uni so these grades don't make a difference but they still matter to us, especially after the C in History last year when she was on track for an A (bastard SQA). So hoping for a good grade for AH History.

She's also doing 2 other Highers, one of them we had to complain about the teachers (long process involving GTCS, LA and SQA, all upheld), so again really hoping the grade gives a right twos-up to that teacher.

Outwardly she doesn't seem to be stressing - more worried about passing her driving test than passing her exams, probably cause of the UC offer. But I know if she passes the subject with the godawful teacher she'll be emotional.

Hows everyone else's kids doing?

Could you try appealing? My DS was one mark off from getting an A for one of his Nat 5’s. He asked his teacher to put in an appeal and he was upgraded to an A.

Her teacher is going to ask for a recount, but chances are it won’t make a difference. As I understand it, you can’t get a paper remarked, just they check that they’ve counted the marks correctly. Would be happy to be corrected if that’s wrong.

From SQA website:

”Learners who have undergone exceptional circumstances consideration are excluded from the Appeals Service for the same qualification. This is because the EECCS includes a marking review of any/all submitted external assessments that are related to the request.
Learners can appeal their EECCS request outcome on two possible grounds. This must be done through the head of school, college or training provider on a learner’s behalf if:

• they believe that SQA’s decision to refuse an EECCS request, based on all the evidence available to SQA at the time, is wrong.

or

• they believe there was procedural irregularity in SQA’s handling of an EECCS request, which contributed to a decision that based on all the evidence available to SQA at the time, is wrong.

Learners should speak to their school, college or training provider if they want to appeal an EECCS outcome.”

You might be surprised. It is worth a shot. It's a free service. I would suggest trying.

Does anyone know when they hear about appeals? The school apparently were putting an appeal in for dd for her chemistry. I am panicking a bit now about whether they actually did it. They are often slack at things, I wish we had done it ourselves.

Unless it was a priority appeal (to meet an offer requirement) the results come out at the end of October.

It's not quite as simple as just a recount -see attached from SQA website.
My ds was advised to appeal as 1 mark off his predicted A in English. I had communications with the teacher responsible for the appeals and had to confirm in writing I was happy for the appeal to go ahead and understood they could be marked down. They then confirmed they had submitted the appeal.
Highly unlikely to be marked down when they're only 1 mark off though.

Ah, the photo is under review.

From the SQA website

"How did the appeals service work?
A senior marker carried out a marking review of your SQA-marked assessments. The senior marker reviewed your responses to all externally marked question papers and assignments. They checked that the marks awarded by the marker were in line with the marking standards agreed at the markers' briefing and the marking instructions."
They also checked that:

• all parts of your SQA-assessments had been marked
• the marks given for each answer had been totalled correctly
• the correct result had been entered on our system.

DS got his H Chemistry mark upgraded and the email to inform us about it was on 4th October from his school. Can't remember when he received the amended certificate though...possibly nearer end of October?

I am sure your DD will get news soon about hers 🤞🤞🤞
Edited due to typo.

DS was a non priority appeal, btw.

Mine got a C and he was one off a B in English. He eventually decided against appealing, school put in his head his mark could go down and he decided he needs the C too much to risk it going down, more than he needs a B.

Although I’d imagine the chances of it going down would be tiny, he has ASD and fixated on it

Our school recommended appealing three but we only appealed two for identical reasons.

Appealed DDs AH History, althougn not a priority appeal (she already had an UC offer). She had a 'no award' which made no sense. She may only go up to a D which would at least be something on her certificate but I hope its a C or higher because everyone else got that. For DD to be the only 'no award' is wierd although she did say the paper was very hard.
You can check appeal statistics on the SQA website to see how many appeals get upgraded. For AH History, not many people appeal, but around 42% have gotten upgraded in the last 2 years so I'm trying to be hopeful.
Deffo check out the appeal statistics if anyone else is curious.

Surely if you’re one off the next mark up there’s no way it will go down enough to get a lower grade? Why would the school say that?!

Because it can. If you completely misread a nine mark question so should have received zero for it but a nine got entered in error then you could go down a grade.

Only something like five people were downgraded across all appeals but they wouldn’t have expected it either. So schools have to warn it could happen.

I think this is it, because it’s not just a recount there’s presumably a chance even tiny it could go down. He didn’t want to take the risk. Having a C won’t impact his future plans but getting a D would.

@Brightlycolouredbeetlei bet none of those 5 had grades one off from the higher grade. Someone at my kid’s school was downgraded a couple of years ago because he submitted the appeal before hearing his banding or speaking to the school. He had only just scraped the grade he had got so was in the danger zone for downgrading and the school said they never would have recommended appeal, but they are happy to appeal where people miss a grade by 1 mark.

As such a small number of people were downgraded their details are potentially identifiable so we can’t know any stats about their appeals. But I suspect you are right about it being like that lad at your school. However, there is still the theoretical possibility of a downgrade so schools do need to say this. Unfortunately both our DC have rather focused on this despite the risk being so tiny.

Does anyone know when they hear for non urgent (5th year highers) appeals?

DC has since found out there are no spaces on the course if they don’t get the upgrade 🙄

Same as the rest of appeals; by the end of October. We heard on 31st a couple of years ago but some heard a few weeks earlier last year.

That is rubbish for his course though, especially as he could have put in a priority appeal if he knew in time.

@ChocoChocoLatte its halloween I think.

Your username brings back fond memories of holiday village kids clubs although the kuku move was also a favourite

@motheronthedancefloor we were maybe at the same resort in Turkey lol

We heard through the school a few weeks ago (I forgot to update here) that DD didn't get her appeal. C'est la vie. She was a wee bit upset but less so when none of her friends got their appeals either.

Out off all the appeals we know:
Higher Chemistry (0.66% off an A)
Higher Physics (0.66% off an A)
Higher Art (1% off an A)
Higher Mods (1% off a B)
Nat 5 maths appeal from a D when they were an A student throughout the year
Higher PE (1% off a B)
Higher PE (1% off a A)

None of them were granted. Its such a long shot. Hope the rest of you have better news.

DC didn’t either. I wasn’t really surprised as the result weren’t unexpected so there was no reason the grade was wrong just because it was close to the boundary. The frustrating thing about appeals is in introduces dissatisfaction with what, for my DC, were actually very good results that they should just have been proud of.