SQA results day 2024: What happens after results come out?

Results can come by post or text

About 145,000 pupils across Scotland are receiving their exam results.

Here is everything you need to know on SQA results day.

What time will Scottish exam results arrive?

Pupils in Scotland receive their results on Tuesday 6 August.

The results cover Nationals, Highers and Advanced Highers, as well as the more vocational National Progression Awards, Skills for Work Awards, and National Certificates.

The results were sent out by first-class post but many students opted to receive their grades digitally.

Text messages and emails were due to be sent to candidates who had an activated MySQA account from 08:00 onwards.

However, pupils received emails with a blank space where their results should be. Some candidates also failed to get texts initially, leading to anxious waits.

If you have opted to receive your results by post, it will depend on when your mail normally arrives.

Pupils from Craigmount High in Edinburgh celebrated after receiving their results last year

What percentage is an A grade?

Courses at National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher are graded A-D.

National 2, National 3, and National 4 courses are not graded — the units that make up these courses are assessed as pass or fail.

Grade boundaries vary from year to year and the exact percentages for 2024 won't be published until results day.

However, the SQA sets initial grade boundaries for their assessments at 50% for a C, 70% for an A, and 85% for an Upper A.

These boundaries are the starting point for deciding the final grade boundaries each year.

Is a grade D at National 5 a pass?

A grade D is a pass.

If you receive a grade D result this usually means you scored between 40 and 49% in the course assessment.

Candidates who score less than 40% are not awarded a national course and will receive a no award result.

What are the SQA national average marks for 2024?

The number of pupils achieving an A, B or C grade at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher was down across the board.

The Higher A-C attainment dropped from 77.1% in 2023 to 74.9%, while the A-C attainment for National 5 exams fell from 78.8% in 2023 to 77.2%.

The biggest drop in A-C grades came from Advanced Highers, which fell from 79.8% in 2023 to 75.3%.

The SQA noted that there had been different approaches to awarding in each year since 2019 which did not allow for "meaningful conclusions to be drawn on changes in education performance".

Results will be known on 6 August

What happens if you fail your exams?

There is lots of support available if you don't get the results you are hoping for.

The SQA's candidate advice line will open at 08:00 on results day and will stay open until 18:00.

Guidance staff at your school will also be on hand to provide help.

If you have a conditional offer for university or college that you don't meet, you can apply to Ucas' clearing process which is used by universities and colleges to fill empty places.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS), the agency which supports training and skills for work, will also operate an advice line from 6 to 9 August.

If you need help and advice about the next steps in your career or education or if you didn't get the results you hoped for you can phone the SDS results helpline number on 0808 100 8000.

Can I appeal my SQA grade?

Yes, and every year thousands of pupils do.

Before anyone sits an exam their school, college or training centre submits estimated grades for every candidate to the SQA.

If you don't think your grade is correct, you should first talk to your school or college.

It will contact the exam board on your behalf and ask for your marks to be reviewed.

You can also submit your own appeal.

Appeals will be subject to a marking review - a check that marks have been added up and submitted correctly and a check that the marking meets the national standard.

An appeal can be prioritised if you have a conditional place at university or college, or are in training or employment that depends on your grade.

The deadline for priority appeals is Tuesday 13 August, or Tuesday 27 August for other appeals.

What was the success rate of SQA appeals in 2023?

In 2023, over 39,000 of the 540,920 certificated grades were appealed.

A total of 3,980 appeal requests resulted in an upgrade while five resulted in a downgrade.

This means the success rate is around 10%.