Higher maths exam more difficult than intended, SQA says

This is the second year of the new Nationals which were brought in as part of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and which are usually taken in S4.

And the percentage of S4 pupils who were awarded five or more National 5 qualifications in 2014 was 44% but this year rose to 45%.

He said: “Pupils who raised concerns about the difficulty of the new Higher maths exam have been vindicated”.

The pass rate for the new Maths Higher was 70.8 per cent, similar to that in previous years.

Dr Janet Brown, SQA’s chief executive said: “As in every year, we carry out a review of assessments to ensure candidates have been able to display their skills, knowledge and understanding”.

The number of youngsters who gained three or more passes at Higher level has also increased to 30 per cent – up from just over a quarter in 2014.

And with many students sitting a mix of both old and new Highers, the overall pass rate among those taking updated exams was above that of those opting for the old tests.

Fifth Year Pupils achieving one or more Highers have increased to 52.1 per cent (from 49.3 per cent last year) and those achieving three or more Highers rising to 30 per cent (from 25.8 per cent) – the best results in Inverclyde for over 10 years.

Advanced Higher passes increased by 4% to a record level of 18,899, with pass rate of 80.9%.

Overall Higher passes are up by 5.5 per cent. Education secretary Angela Constance said: “This is another strong performance by Scotland’s young people”.

For more on Glasgow and East Ren’s record results, see Thursday’s edition of The Extra. Students are performing particularly well in English and in modern languages.

This year’s new Higher maths exam was too hard, Scotland’s exams body has admitted.

Mr Loughran said: “We look forward to seeing how the performance of Inverclyde’s young people compares nationally”.

“We should also acknowledge that teachers have delivered under significant workload pressure and an exam system in flux”.

Iain Gray, Scottish Labour’s education spokesman, congratulated students on the said the record figures but urged SNP ministers to address the concerns of teachers. “The council-run Aberdeen Guarantees initiative is also an excellent example of how we are working with businesses and higher education establishments to provide positive destinations for all our pupils”.

Learners who have taken any of these qualifications this year receive their results on Tuesday 4 August.

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of our young people for their efforts”. “This ensures students still get the mark they deserve if the exam is easier or more hard than intended”.

Michael McTernan, parent council member at Portobello High, the city’s largest secondary, said: “It’s really heartening they have gone up this year – it’s brilliant”.