Attainment level increases for Scots youngsters but poverty gap persists

The level of attainment for Scottish youngsters has increased, the latest exam results show, but the poverty-related gap has persisted.

Figures released by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) on Tuesday showed the level of attainment across National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels increased in 2025 compared to last year.

The rate of pupils achieving between an A and a C at National 5 increased from 77.2% to 78.4% while Higher jumped from 74.9% to 75.9% and Advanced Higher from 75.3% to 76.7%.

Along with the increase in pass rates, the poverty-related attainment gap – the difference between the A-C rate for those from the 20% of the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the most affluent – also shrunk narrowly.

In 2016, then first minister Nicola Sturgeon said her government would push to substantially reduce the attainment gap by 2026, writing in that year’s Programme for Government document that elimination of the gap was “a yardstick by which the people of Scotland can measure our success”.

With less than a year before pupils are set to sit exams again, the rate remains substantial.

The National 5 rate dropped from 17.2% to 16.6% while Higher saw a small dip from 17.2% to 17.1% and Advanced Higher from 15.5% to 12.8%.

The gap in the number of pupils achieving an A also reduced slightly at all levels, but remained substantially higher than the A-C rate.

In National 5, the rate fell from 27.6% to 27.5%, 22.1% to 22% in Higher and 18.7% to 18.3% in Advanced Higher.

Scottish Tory education spokesman Miles Briggs said the pledge of the Sturgeon-led government lay “in tatters” as a result of the figures.

“These results have been achieved against a backdrop of another challenging year in our schools with violence soaring out of control and teachers often feeling like they do not have enough say over the school curriculum,” he said.

“However, SNP ministers have no room for complacency.

“Frankly, no amount of spin from them can avoid the fact that Nicola Sturgeon’s promises in relation to the attainment gap lie in tatters.

“She 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 Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney that those from the most deprived communities are still facing a postcode lottery when it comes to educational achievement.”

Lib Dem education spokesman Willie Rennie said progress in closing the gap had “stalled”.

Scottish Labour education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy said the attainment gap remains “stubbornly wide”.

She said: “Right across our education system staff have gone above and beyond to give kids the education they deserve despite a lack of leadership from this SNP Government.

“While any progress closing the attainment gap should be welcomed, the truth is it remains stubbornly wide.

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

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

Following the results delivered to around 147,000 pupils across Scotland on Tuesday, a record number of young Scots have secured places at university.

Statistics released by university and college admission body Ucas show 17,350 17 and 18-year-olds will be admitted this year, compared to 16,650 last year.

The number of those from the most deprived backgrounds is also at its highest, at 2,060.

However, the gap in the proportion of those accepted from the most deprived areas compared with the most affluent remains pronounced, with 16% from the 20% of areas described as the most deprived being accepted compared to 43.6%.

The total number of applicants from Scotland who secured a place at university this year actually fell compared to the figure for 2024, from 31,970 to 31,850, as a result of a decline in mature student applications.

Some 3,660 students are set to come from abroad – an increase from 3,480 from last year.

Dr Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas, said: “I’m delighted to see record numbers of young people in Scotland accept a place at university or college via Ucas this year.

“Today’s figures also show record numbers of accepted students aged 17 and 18 from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

“This is testament to the tremendous efforts being made to support widening access to higher education in Scotland.

“Everyone at Ucas offers congratulations to those celebrating today and I would encourage any students considering higher education, even those who have yet to apply, to explore clearing.

“There are plenty of options for you to consider, with around 27,000 courses, including more than 2,700 at Scottish institutions.

“Ucas’s team of expert advisers are also on hand to answer any questions on the phone, on our website and on social media.”