Scotland’s Exam Pass Rates Rise in 2025, But Inequality Casts Long Shadow

Scotland’s students are celebrating an overall rise in exam pass rates this year, with official figures showing improvements at National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher levels, the core academic qualifications in Scottish secondary education. National 5 exams are typically taken around age 15–16, Highers at 16–17 (key for university applications), and Advanced Highers at 17–18, offering more specialized preparation for higher education. The 2025 results, released by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) on August 5, reflect what many see as a slow but hopeful recovery in the wake of pandemic-era disruptions.

Across the board, pass rates edged upward:

• National 5 pass rates rose from 77.2% in 2024 to 78.4%
• Higher pass rates climbed from 74.9% to 75.9%
• Advanced Higher went from 75.3% to 76.7% (GlasgowWorld, Sky News)

Vocational and technical achievements also reached new heights. A record 110,380 awards were handed out in these fields, marking a 22.6% increase over last year. For the first time since the introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence, Higher entries surpassed 200,000, showing renewed interest in academic progression (Sky News).

But the celebration is tempered by persistent inequality. The attainment gap, the difference in performance between students from the most and least deprived areas, narrowed only slightly, and in some areas barely at all.

In 2025:

• At National 5, the gap stands at 16.6 percentage points (down from 17.2)
• At Higher, it’s 17.1 points (barely down from 17.2)
• At Advanced Higher, the gap narrowed more meaningfully to 12.8 points from 15.5 

When it comes to university access, the picture is even starker: only 16% of accepted students came from the most deprived communities, compared to 43.6% from the wealthiest. These numbers cast serious doubt on the Scottish Government’s long-standing pledge to ensure 20% representation from disadvantaged areas by 2030 (TES, The Guardian).

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth praised the results as evidence of “real shoots of recovery,” pointing to over £1 billion invested in the Attainment Scotland Fund. But critics argue the pace of progress is far too slow.

Opposition MSPs and education unions say the government’s goal of substantially closing the attainment gap by 2026, a pledge first made in 2015, is now unrealistic. Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy noted that while any progress is welcome, the current pace remains too slow to meet the original target (Sky News, The Guardian, The Scottish Sun).

While this year’s results mark a positive step for Scotland’s education system, with more students passing exams and engaging in vocational learning, the system is still falling short on its biggest promise: closing the opportunity gap between rich and poor students. Reaching the 2026 and 2030 goals will likely require continued effort and focused support to ensure all learners have equal opportunities to succeed.