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?

@dubz please tell your DD that SQA marking for Art is crazy - to get a B is excellent. I have known DC that were brilliant at Art to be marked a fail by SQA, It's all about process and so subjective and lack on an A says nothing about her talent or hard work.

Delighted with 5 As at Higher here.

Although, from reading the thread, I am now panicking because of all those who have just received Higher results and are comparing them to what’s needed at a specific uni. DS hasn’t picked course or universities yet.

Predicted an A but got a C in higher English. She’s gutted but pleased she got two As.

Well done, and there’s loads of time!

A C here, I had wondered if he might have pulled a B out the bag but given he was at no award at N5 prelim stage I’m happy enough

Come on now, he passed all of his Higers! That's brilliant news!!!😀

The outcomes of previous years appeals are on the SQA website - vanishingly small chance of a down grade and I think it was something like 7 or 9 % success rate. They check the marking was in line with standards and have been added up correctly. We appealed DS's Nat English last year - he was at 69% so had nothing to lose, and was successfully upgraded to an A. I think I'd hesitate if my DC was in the lower couple of percent of the grade but otherwise would go for it.

Highers mixed bag here - four As and a B in physics here, which is great except he needed an A in physics for his first choice uni programme. His older brother has calmed him down that it’s not game over yet and he can probably get a conditional offer on his advanced highers but DS is gutted and surprised. He actually expected a B in chemistry and got an A, so that should be good news reflecting a ton of hard work, but it’s completely overshadowed by the disappointment in physics where he really expected an A. We’ll appeal but the bbc are stating only 9% were successful last year. (The stats did say only 5 of the total 44855 appeal requests were downgraded so worth a try).

That's brilliant 👏 well done to your DC!!

Another A at Higher for DC2 (RMPS) and AH English B. Unfortunately only a D at Higher Maths which we’re disappointed with because she worked very hard but was always a tall order after scraping a C at Nat 5. But it doesn’t matter because she’s off to Uni on an Unconditional anyway 😊I’m guessing that a D at Higher is the equivalent of a C at Nat 5? Good luck to everyone else.

I’m glad we’re done with the SQA - that was our 6th (and final) August results day in a row. Graduation for DC1 next year so will be nail baiting a little earlier in the year for that one.

Oh please 4 As and a B is a great result! Honestly I am saddened that there's so much pressure on young ones these days. There are always alternatives if you don't get predicted grades. Even then these are wonderful grades👏

Some excellent results posted here- well done.

DS is doing work experience today, didn’t sign up for text, so I’m under strict instruction not to open the results (sat 4 Highers and nat 5 maths app).

I’m confident he’ll pass the nat 5 and hoping he will pass the highers. He got an A in the geography prelim however the invigilator mucked up in the exam, and he didn't get his extra time (ASD). School put in an exceptional circs so fingers crossed as its his best subject.

Spanish/English were borderline in his prelim so hoping he’s passed. It’s going to be a long day today waiting, although the headteacher usually phones if you’ve done well (did last year), so I’ll be taking the phone call or lack of one as a predictor 😁

Overall he’s worked hard and tried his best though and can always resit in S6.

Congratulations on all these great results!
As a teacher can I just say that the results posted here are far from the norm, if your dc didn't get anywhere near 5 As please do celebrate what they have achieved and don't feel as if "everyone else" has done better than your dc.

My daughter is in exactly the same situation. Refused to look at courses or universities until she had her results. Hoping she starts signing up for some open days now.

The grade boundaries have been released on the sqa website.

@motheronthedancefloor feel sorry for the students in the highlands!! mail will most definitely be delayed getting there! as for appeals, sqa just do a recount of the marks you are given so it is not really a check on your paper!

DS is going to have to totally redo his timetable for next year based on his less than ideal results. Will take advice from school but will probably keep his advanced h business and h accounting, and do 2 more highers - potentially resit English to boost his grade and one other.

I think he realises that he didn't do as much work as he could have done and this has come back to bite him. Disappointment all round.

DD has heard from a couple of her friends and although their results are excellent, they are disappointed as they have such high expectations of themselves. It is so difficult for kids these days, such pressure and expectation.

So proud of all the kids who have worked so hard, and they should all be celebrated.

In terms of appeals the SQA state:

Once you submit an appeal, a senior marker will carry out a marking review of your SQA-marked assessments. The senior marker will review your responses to all externally marked question papers and assignments. They check that the marks awarded by the marker are in line with the marking standards agreed at the markers' briefing and the marking instructions.
They also check that:

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

Gosh, what pressure and competition.
Reminds me of why I never got involved in workplace discussions about such matters.
Hope all MN posters children will be OK

DD is over the moon. She got 6 As and a B at Nat 5 and an A in the higher she sat early. Like many she worked hard but puts too much pressure on herself. 6 months ago we were not sure she’d be well enough to sit exams so we are incredibly proud of her hard work and determination. Well done to all the young people who have made it to today. They should all be very proud of themselves

R u serious?

I think a lot of people appeal based purely on being close to the boundary. In these cases there is no reason to suggest there is anything wrong with the marks. I had heard that boundary marks are double-checked anyway but I am not sure how true that would be as they wouldn’t know they were at the boundary until after all the marking was done and the boundaries set. In any case, I suspect appeals are more likely to be successful where the results look ‘odd’.

Still a really good lot of Highers. Well done to your DC!👌

That's absolutely not the case - they don't take into account prelims etc so they have no way of knowing if the result is 'odd'. And of course it's more likely that if you are near the boundary one extra mark might get you up a grade - that's what happened to my DS last year. While it's not a 're-mark' wholesale, it's a senior marker who may take a different view as to whether an answer is in line with standards. And also very easy when your are marking a bundle of papers to mis-calculate the marks.

Edited for typo