If you're just joining us, here are the headlines from our live page coverage of exam results day in Scotland:

• The overall pass rate for exams in Scotland has risen slightly on last year
• There was some disruption to mail deliveries of results to the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Arran and Shetland due to Storm Floris
• The number of pupils achieving an A, B or C grade at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher was up across the board when compared with last year, however it is still below levels from 2023
• The Scottish Qualifications Authority also reported a reduction in the attainment gap between candidates from the most and least deprived areas
• More than 147,000 candidates are getting their marks for those qualifications, as well as Skills for Work Awards, National Progression Awards and National Certificates
• Admissions service Ucas said a record number of young Scots had been offered university or college places
• Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth praised the "pandemic generation" who were at school during lockdown and hailed the "real improvement" in this year's grades in relation to pre-pandemic levels
• Opposition parties criticised the lack of progress on closing the poverty-related attainment gap

• Advice can be found on the SQA website, external
• A Skills Development Scotland helpline, external offers advice to anyone with questions about the next steps in their education

The main message from today is pupils are not alone, there are many opportunities out there and lots of advice is available to them.

Thank you for joining us today. The editor was Paul McLaren. Craig Hutchison and James Delaney were the writers.

These results will have the education secretary breathing a sigh of reliefpublished at 13:54 British Summer Time 5 August

13:54 BST 5 August

Andrew Kerr
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

The education secretary swept in to King’s Park Secondary School in Glasgow and was met with a bank of TV crews and reporters.

Jenny Gilruth hailed the exams as a “strong set of results” with passes increasing at all levels compared to last year.

However, she was tackled on what the opposition parties are saying - with their criticism of a lack of action on the poverty-related attainment gap.

The Conservatives said SNP promises to eradicate the gap lie “in tatters” while Labour said education was “stagnating” under the SNP.

Gilruth said their response was “disappointing” and that there had been improvements across the board and that was to be welcomed.

She added the teaching profession had to be given support and urged opponents “not to play party politics”.

Meanwhile, she dubbed this the “pandemic generation” of young people who had had lived through lockdown - but welcomed their progression with today’s results.

The education secretary will have breathed a sigh of relief as the visit came to an end.

This is the last snapshot of the Scottish education system before the Holyrood election next year - and there’s certainly a more positive picture.

When will I hear from my university if I’ve got a conditional offer?published at 13:45 British Summer Time 5 August

13:45 BST 5 August

This question on conditional offers of acceptance came to us via social media from an anonymous poster.

Ucas advise universities and colleges to keep an offer open to students who have received an offer until 3 September to allow for any outstanding results to be received/proof provided, remarks, etc. However, if a student hasn't provided all information required by 17 September, any outstanding offers will be automatically rejected, unless the university or college are happy to wait longer.

Today will undoubtedly have been tough for some candidates who didn't do as well as they had hoped.

Remember, you should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about.

You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.

If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, external, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There are more links to helpful organisations on BBC Action Line.

Around 147,000 students across Scotland have received their results today, and while there will be relief and celebrations for some, others may disappointed.

So what can you do if things don't go your way?

John Casey, who is now a senior site engineer with construction firm Farrans, tells Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live programme that he didn't get the results he wanted when he sat his exams as a teenager.

"I was pretty gutted to be honest when I got that letter through the door.

"That later shifted when I found out the opportunities that were out there."

John explains he was quite lucky to get the chance to do work experience on a wind farm which gave him an insight into careers in construction.

Farrans were advertising for civil engineer apprentices, John applied and the company sent him to college before he then went on to university.

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.

Image source, PA Media

In the Highlands, the A-C pass rate for National 5 has increased slightly from 75.6% to 76.4% and the Higher rate is up from 71.4% to 74.2%.

S4 pupils gaining five National 5 qualifications at A-C level rose to 39.3% from 37%, while in S5, the number of students achieving five Higher A-C grades has risen to 15.9% from 13.6%.

The pass rate for Higher Maths is also up by 4.3%, rising to 73.9%, but there has been a decrease in the Higher English pass rate, falling slightly to 71.9%

Image source, Stirling Council

Let's take a quick trip around the country to see how the results have been greeted.

In the Stirling area, initial analysis indicates that the percentage of pupils achieving five awards or more at National 5 level by the end of S4 has increased this year.

The percentage of pupils securing one, three or five Highers by the end of S5 has also improved, as well as those in S6 achieving three or five Highers.

In addition to the SQA awards, young people have also celebrated success in a wide range of vocational courses being delivered both at school and at college.

The convener of Stirling Council’s social work and education committee, Cllr Danny Gibson, says: “This is a very impressive set of results for our young people and recognition of their hard work and commitment."

Bannockburn High headteacher Karen Hook says: "We are incredibly proud of our all of our students’ achievements this year."

Katy McCloskey, BBC Scotland senior producer, education

A total of 62,000 students will receive results via text or email (or both) today. That’s alongside the 147,000 envelopes that will drop through letterboxes over the course of the day. Those who opted for texts or emails will still receive a postal certificate.

The SQA have told us that MySQA text and emails were sent, as planned from 08:00 this morning. Text messages are sent in batches at timed intervals so as not to overload mobile network providers. The SQA say there can be delays in when users receive their messages depending on the network or service provider and that networks will continue to try and deliver outstanding messages over the course of the day.

If you’ve still not received your results by 14.30 this afternoon, the SQA have asked that candidates get in touch with its Candidate Advice Line via the candidate inquiry form on their website - www.sqa.org.uk/learnerenquiry, external

We've been hearing from some of you who have received your exam results today.

Sam in Fife said: "I feel like I've gotten on much better than I thought I would. I had all five of my Highers in the space of 11 days so it was incredibly tough.

"But I manager to pass with five As which brought a massive sigh of relief. I hope these grades will help me get into a History course at St Andrews after my sixth year!"

Anna from Aberdeenshire told us she got an A in Higher Maths, and Bs in Administration and IT, Chemistry, Graphic Communication and English.

"I want to do Accountancy at university once I leave school and managed to get the grades I needed to get into most courses."

Meanwhile, Leah is celebrating getting six As at Nat 5, and Dawud in Edinburgh has got the grades he needed to get into Glasgow Caledonian to study Optometry.

If you want to celebrate your achievements by sharing your results and your plans for the future, fill in this form.

Scottish Lib Dem education spokesman Willie Rennie is warning that the SNP will need to do much more to close the poverty-related attainment gap.

He says: “It is encouraging to see an increase in the take-up of vocational and technical qualifications, as Liberal Democrats are keen to reach parity of esteem with academic courses.

“The university access figures show that the closing of the poverty-related attainment gap has all but stalled in Scotland.

"It’s difficult to see how the target will be reached by the end of the decade. Universities have been working incredibly hard on this target but ultimately this is a reflection of the SNP government’s inability to close the gap in schools.”

Image source, PA Media

Scottish Conservatives education spokesperson Miles Briggs says pupils should be “proud” of their results.

However, he insists promises made by former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to close the attainment gap by next year are “in tatters”.

He says: “She [Sturgeon] wanted to eradicate it completely yet still there is a huge gap in the results achieved by those from our most and least deprived communities.

"And John Swinney was education secretary when the SNP said it would be the defining mission of their government and promised to substantially eliminate it by 2026.

“By any measure they have failed Scotland’s children. It should be a source of shame for Sturgeon and Swinney that those from the most deprived communities are still facing a postcode lottery when it comes to educational achievement.”

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson, Pam Duncan-Glancy, has been paying tribute to the “hard work” of pupils following the release of the results.

But she says education is “stagnating” under the SNP, adding the attainment gap between the richest and poorest pupils remains “stubbornly wide”.

“The SNP has gone from promising to close the attainment gap entirely to congratulating itself for the most incremental progress,” she says.

“From those doing exams to those pursuing a vocation, young people in Scotland deserve a government with more ambition for their future.”

As we've been hearing, SNP government ministers have welcomed the rise in exam pass rates across Scotland.

They have also hailed a reduction in the attainment gap between pupils from the most and least deprived areas.

But what have their political opponents got to say?

Let's hear from Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems.

Our reporter Emma Clifford Bell has been to Paisley's PACE Youth Theatre, external to see how its students got on today.

Isla, who is 17, got As in Higher Music, Tech and Drama, an A at Advanced Music and a B at Advanced English. She wants to go to Edinburgh Napier University to study Acting and English.

"Now that I've got my results I can get everything all lined up. And then uni will just open doors for me, let me decide what exactly I'm going to do. The world’s my oyster - that's what my parents keep saying."

Emma, who is also 17, got all As in Higher English, Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Modern Studies and wants to be a physics teacher.

She says her family are really happy for her: "They've given me cards saying congrats and little bits of money and we're going out for dinner to celebrate tonight."

You can hear the interviews with both Isla and Emma on Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live.

Our colleagues at BBC Bitesize can help you navigate information about the exam results on social media today.

Other Side of the Story has been checking out some of the claims you may have heard about results day.

This includes where to get free food with your exam results!

Image source, Getty Images

We've been hearing from Scotland's Education Secretary, Jenny Gilruth, as she reflects on exam results day.

She says she accepts there is more improvement to come but the SQA results show the strength of Scotland’s vocational and technical qualifications.

“I know that some young people will be disappointed with their results. I want to reassure them that there are a wide range of options and routes for success available, with support on hand throughout this week via the dedicated helpline run by Skills Development Scotland."

The Skills Development Scotland’s Results helpline, external is now taking calls for anyone who is unsure about their next steps, whether that is in work, training or further study.

How do I tell my parents if I don't get good results?published at 11:34 British Summer Time 5 August

11:34 BST 5 August

Students have been getting in touch with us on social media with queries about the results system. This one about not getting the results you may have wanted comes from an anonymous poster.

Skills Development Scotland said: “It can be hard to have difficult conversations, especially if you’re feeling upset or you’re worried about disappointing your parents. Remember that your parents/carers want what’s best for you, and disappointing results don’t mean that they love or care for you any less.

"As the saying goes, 'honesty is the best policy' so we’d suggest sitting down with them, showing them the results and explaining how you’re feeling right now, and then together give the SDS Results Helpline a call on 0808 100 8000. The advisers there will listen to your situation without judgement, chat to you and your parents, and help you to come up with a new plan – one that you can all be proud of.”

Robbie Boyle
BBC Scotland News

For Daniel from Cults Academy the sky may not be the limit, as his fifth-year grades of five As at Higher level should be enough to line him up for an aerospace degree.

But first on the agenda - a trip to Texas.

He says: "I'm actually going out to Houston later this year with NASA after getting the chance from winning a Scottish Space School event.

"My family are actually more excited than I am."

Let's take stock and go over the main lines that have emerged so far on exam results day in Scotland:

• The overall pass rate for exams in Scotland has risen slightly on last year
• There has been some disruption to mail deliveries of results to the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Arran and Shetland due to Storm Floris
• Students on Arran could see their results arrive after the 11:00 ferry docks
• The number of pupils achieving an A, B or C grade at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher was up across the board when compared with last year, however it is still below levels from 2023
• The SQA also reported a reduction in the attainment gap between candidates from the most and least deprived areas
• More than 147,000 candidates are getting their marks for those qualifications, as well as Skills for Work Awards, National Progression Awards and National Certificates
• Admissions service Ucas said a record number of young Scots had been offered university or college places

• The SQA's Candidate Advice Line is open from 08:00 to 18:00 on Tuesday, then open between 08:30 and 17:00 from Wednesday to Friday.
• Further advice can be found on the SQA website, external
• A Skills Development Scotland helpline, external will offer advice to anyone with questions about the next steps in their education.

Robbie Boyle
BBC Scotland News

Dave Finnegan from Northfield Academy in Aberdeen says he is "more or less happy" with his results but is a little "bummed out" with the C grades.

He says: "I want to do something at university but not sure what yet.

"At least sixth year gives me a chance to pick up results and have a think."