Qualification Scotland School Examination Results 2026
Argyll and Bute Council · 27 August 2026
Back to Community Services Committee — 27 August 2026 and its agenda
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE EDUCATION SERVICE 27 AUGUST 2026 QUALIFICATION SCOTLAND SCHOOL EXAMINATION RESULTS 2026 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide an update to elected members on the initial outcome of the Qualifications Scotland (QS) 2026 examination diet for young people in Argyll and Bute. 1.2 Following the release of the initial examination results by QS in August, awards for pupils in academic year 2025/26 will be updated by QS in December 2026 following the processing of appeal requests submitted by candidates or schools. As a result of decisions made in response to these requests, minor changes may be made to the statistical data presented in this report. 1.3 It is recommended that the Community Services Committee: I. Notes the guidance from QS, detailed below at 4.3, about qualitative comparisons of data over recent years. II. Notes the outcome of the initial QS examination results for pupils in academic year 2025/26, and that the performance of Argyll and Bute Schools in 2026 is in line with local authority run schools nationally at National 5 (A-D), above in Higher (A- D) and slightly below at Advanced Higher (A-D) III. Notes that within the authority, performance against 2025 improved in three of six pass rate measures (Higher at both A-C and A-D and Advanced Higher A-D). Presentation rates for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels increased. The average number of National 5s sat by our S4 pupils is the highest it has been in the last 11 years. Twinned with increased pass rates, this year’s diet saw an overall increase in the number of awards per presenting pupil at S5. Performance in S4 was in line with last year and ahead of 2024. III. Requests that the Executive Director provide further reports to the Community Services Committee to allow the consideration of updated statistical school and national information, scheduled to be released by Insight (school data analysis tool) in September 2026 and February 2027.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE EDUCATION SERVICE 27 AUGUST 2026 QUALIFICATION SCOTLAND SCHOOL EXAMINATION RESULTS 2026 2. INTRODUCTION 2.1 On 30th July 2026 the Council received QS examination results for all pupils entered for National Qualifications in session 2025/26. This provided initial information on the outcome of examination performance for all pupils in each of the ten Argyll and Bute secondary schools. 2.2 The purpose of this report is to inform Elected Members of the initial outcome of the QS 2026 awards for young people in Argyll and Bute. A range of statistical information is provided illustrating performance of pupils across three graded National Qualification measures: • National 5 • Higher • Advanced Higher As has been the case in previous years, most of the data in this initial attainment report has been sourced from SEEMiS Business Intelligence Course Awards data. Comparisons with national figures and other authorities have been using QS provided data which was published on results day (4th August 2026). 3. RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 It is recommended that the Community Services Committee: I. Notes the guidance from QS, detailed below at 4.3, about qualitative comparisons of data over the last four years, with reference to ‘pre-pandemic’ data in 2018/19. II. Notes the outcome of the initial QS examination results for pupils in academic year 2025/26, and that the performance of Argyll and Bute Schools in 2026 is in line with local authority run schools nationally at National 5 (A-D), above in Higher (A- D) and slightly below at Advanced Higher (A-D) III. Notes that within the authority, performance against 2025 improved in three of six pass rate measures (Higher at both A-C and A-D and Advanced Higher A-D).
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Presentation rates for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels increased. The average number of National 5s sat by our S4 pupils is the highest it has been in the last 11 years. Twinned with increased pass rates, this year’s diet saw an overall increase in the number of awards per presenting pupil at S5. Performance in S4 was in line with last year and ahead of 2024. IV. Requests that the Executive Director provide further reports to the Community Services Committee to allow the consideration of updated statistical school and national information, scheduled to be released by Insight (school data analysis tool) in September 2026 and February 2027. 4. DETAIL 4.1 Pupils in each of the ten secondary schools in Argyll and Bute in S4–S6 were presented for a range of QS qualifications in May and June of 2026. Three secondary schools presented S3 pupils for national qualifications, and two schools presented S2 pupils for single awards. Following the release of awards, Education Services conducted an initial analysis of the results to support the preparation of a summary report for presentation to, and consideration by, Elected Members. 4.2 This paper provides an overview of examination outcomes and compares the overall attainment of pupils in Argyll and Bute with national performance. It begins by examining presentation rates across all National Qualifications before considering pass rates. To provide a more comprehensive assessment of performance, presentation and pass rates have been combined into an awards-per-pupil measure, enabling comparisons of the breadth of attainment achieved by pupils across cohorts. The report also includes an initial analysis of attainment gaps and benchmarks these against national trends. Finally, headline attainment data for care-experienced young people (CEYP) is presented. 4.3 Pandemic related disruption has meant that the ways in which our young people have been assessed has changed over the last 7 diets (2020-2026). For this reason, comparison between years is limited in some areas, with QS urging caution in assessing performance between years. QS summarise assessment changes between 2020 and 2025 as follows1: In 2020, the Deputy First Minister directed SQA to issue grades, primarily on the basis of teacher estimates. Grades that had been adjusted upwards in an earlier moderation process were also retained. In 2021, The Scottish Government commissioned SQA to develop an Alternative Certification Model (ACM 2021) for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher. The model was based on teacher judgement, supported by assessment resources and quality assurance. Throughout 2022, SQA worked with partners across the education sector (including teachers, lecturers, learners, parents and carers) to agree the wide-ranging package of support that was put in place to enable learners to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do, despite the disruption to learning caused by the COVID-19 1 Full information on the changes to assessment approaches between 2020 and 2025 can be found here: Attainment Statistical Summary 2025 - SQA
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pandemic. SQA implemented various modifications and revision support to reduce the assessment requirements for courses and increase learning and teaching time. In 2023, awarding operated using the established procedure, as far as possible, in order to evaluate the performance of the course assessment, but with consideration given to the following factors: • impact of the reducing legacy of disruption to teaching and learning caused by the pandemic • impact of modifications to course assessment • impact of the removal of revision support Awarding decisions were therefore ‘sensitive’ to these factors, ensuring that grade boundary decisions recognised that performance continues to be impacted. This was informed by the full range of qualitative and quantitative data used during awarding, with additional data from 2021–22 on the impact of modifications. In 2024, awarding used the well-established procedures to evaluate the performance of the course assessment and, where appropriate, considered the impact of changes to assessment brought about by the return to full course assessment for many courses. These changes to assessment included the removal of optionality in some question papers and the reintroduction of: • coursework components (projects, assignments, dissertations) • optional content into question papers • course content examined in question papers • an exam component From 2025, SQA returned to well-established awarding procedures, in line with our Awarding and Grading for National Courses Policy, which is available on the background information webpage. Users of these statistics should be mindful of the above information when comparing figures from different years. As the above describes, there have been significantly different approaches to course content, coursework and awarding between 2020 and 2026. This means that comparisons of attainment between years should be treated with significant caution and do not allow for conclusions to be drawn on changes in education performance during this time. For this reason, as in previous years, the results from 2020 and 2021 have been omitted entirely from this report as they were not achieved by an examination diet. Comparisons to 2019 (the last pre-pandemic diet) and the last two diets (2024 and 2025) are emphasised throughout this report as being the most appropriate benchmarks to compare against. 4.4 This report has used the same pass rate calculation methodology as in 2025, which differed to previous versions of this report. This is to fully capture the performance of all young people who were presented for national qualifications and to align to national methodologies which are used to produce nationwide pass rate figures. Firstly, Skills for Work courses which are ungraded have not been included in the pass rates below. Whilst performance in these courses is consistently very high, as they are ungraded passes they do not qualify as A-C or A-D grade passes. In prior years these passes were included in both A-C and A-D pass rates.
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Secondly, pass rates at a national level are published regardless of the stage of the pupil. Previous reports presented pass rates on S4-S6 pupils only and omitted the performance of a relatively small number of S3 pupils. At an authority level, the inclusion of S3 pupils in pass rate calculations only makes a small difference to percentage figures. However, at individual establishment level, these changes can be meaningful. Furthermore, it would be unfair to exclude an establishments S3 data in their own school and authority’s pass rate whilst it had contributed to the national pass rate. The data presented below applies the revised calculation methodology to previous years' results. As a result, pass rates for earlier sessions may vary slightly from those reported in editions of this report published before 2025. These updated figures do mean that the comparison to national pass rates is now more appropriate at both authority and school levels. 4.5 Presentations In session 2025/26, the number of presentations for each level and stage across National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications were as follows: *S9 relates to young people who complete an additional year at secondary school, granted due to exceptional circumstances. Of 8808 total presentations, 98.3% came from pupils in S4-S6 stages. A small number of pupils are presented prior to S4, with 3 schools presenting pupils in S3 and 2 schools presenting pupils in S2. Our young people can be presented at different levels throughout their chosen senior phase pathway. This allows a young person to undertake subjects at different levels of qualification simultaneously, such as a mixture of National 4 and 5 in S4, a mixture of National 5 and Higher in S5 and a mixture of Higher and Advanced Higher in S6. The numbers of pupils presented at each stage in the QS 2026 presentations are as follows: Stage Number of Pupils S2 2 S3 40 S4 834 S5 649 S6 430 S9 9 Grand Total 1964 Presentation Type S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S9* Total Presentations National 4 43 1020 111 26 1 1206 National 5 1 105 3919 555 204 2 4786 Higher 1 8 1906 596 1 2512 Advanced Higher 7 295 2 304 Total by Stage 2 148 4947 2579 1121 6 8808
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The table below shows the numbers of pupils who presented for each presentation type and the number of national qualifications they sat. A comparison to 2025 is given for context: 2025 2026 Presentation Type Number of Pupils Number of Presentations Number of Pupils Number of Presentations National 5 1202 4608 1254 4786 Higher 854 2429 883 2512 Advanced Higher 166 255 194 302 • The number of presentations at all levels was greater than in 2025. • In 2024, 830 S4 pupils presented for 3595 National 5 qualifications. The latest data, 2026, saw 834 S4 pupils presenting for 3919 National 5 qualifications. As such, the 2026 cohort presented for 9% more National 5 awards than the similarly sized 2024 cohort. 4.6 Presentation Rates The total number of presentations divided by the number of pupils presented gives us a presentation rate. The presentation rate provides us with a means of monitoring the average presentation of pupils at different stages of their senior phase pathway. This metric gives us information on the breadth of learning that the average pupil has undertaken at each stage and allows us to compare cohorts over time. The table below provides data for 2019, the last pre-pandemic diet, and data for 2022 up until 2026. The three measures below are Nat 5 presentations at S4, Higher presentations at S5 and Adv Higher presentations at S6: Presentation Rate Measure 2019 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 S4 Nat 5 4.01 4.62 4.47 4.33 4.69 4.70 S5 Higher 2.84 2.91 2.95 2.68 2.81 2.94 S6 Adv Higher 0.53 0.79 0.72 0.75 0.60 0.69 • Presentation rates in S4 Nat 5, S5 Higher and S6 Adv Higher are up against 2025. • Presentations rates for S4 Nat 5 are the highest they have ever been. • Presentation rates for S5 Higher are the second highest they have been, and only exceeded by 2023 (which was only 0.01 ahead). • Presentation rates for S6 Adv Higher are above 2025 and also significantly above pre-pandemic levels. However, presentation rates for this stage and level are slightly below the 2022-2024 period.
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Long-term trends in presentation rates are provided in the visual below: • Over the last 11 sessions, the average number of National 5 presentations per S4 pupil has risen from 3.00 in 2016 to 4.70 in 2026. This marks a steady upward trend with the 2026 presentation rate being the highest over this period. • Over the last 11 sessions, the average number of Higher presentations per S5 pupil remained steady for many years. The rate remained around 2.8 awards per pupils, before increasing to 2.91 and 2.95 in 2022 and 2023 respectively. A decline to 2.68 occurred in 2024, before two years of increases led to the figure of 2.94 recorded in 2026. The 2026 figure of 2.94 is the second highest over this period and the highest within a standard assessment model. • Over the last 11 sessions, the average number of Advanced Higher presentations per S6 pupil has risen from 0.57 in 2016 to 0.69 in 2025. Between 2016 and 2020 the rate ranged between 0.55 and 0.67, averaging 0.59 over the five years. Between 2021 and 2024 this rate increased, ranging between 0.71 and 0.75 and averaging 0.74. The 2025 session saw a return to pre-pandemic norms, with the figure of 0.60 sitting within the norm for 2016-2020. Presentation rates in 2026 were 0.69. This sits out with the ranges of both previous periods. Nevertheless, the rate of 0.69 is closer to the average of the 2021-2024 period (0.74) than that of pre-pandemic rates (0.59). The visual below provides an overview of presentation rates in each of our secondary schools. As the number of pupils in presenting for Adv Highers are very low in some schools, this measure has been omitted.
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*Note that Islay High School’s presentation rate appears lower as a result of their S3 presentation policy. This splits their National 5 attainment across two stages for most pupils – meaning that the S4 rate appears lower. This is not replicated elsewhere, so should be considered in any comparison between schools. • At S4 Nat 5, 2 of the 10 secondary schools increased their presentations per pupil against 2025. Six of 10 secondary schools had a higher presentation rate in 2026 than in 2024. Eight of 10 secondary schools had presentation rates higher than in 2019. • At S5 Higher, seven of the 10 secondary schools increased their presentations per pupil against 2025. Nine of the 10 secondary schools had presentation rates higher than in 2024. Six of the 10 secondary schools had presentation rates higher than in 2019. 4.7 Pass Rates Pass rates data for both A-C and A-D passes are provided below. Comparison to two different national figures is provided. The first national measure is referred to as Scotland (All Entries). This QS provided figure includes all entries regardless of centre type or age of entrant. Pupils from independent schools and adult learners present in further education colleges are included in this figure. The second national measure is referred to as Scotland (LA schools only). This QS provided figure includes only entries from pupils of local authority funded schools. Comparisons will primarily be made to the latter of these two measures as the most appropriate like-for-like comparator. 4.8 For A-C grades, the performance of Argyll and Bute schools in 2026 is behind the national performance at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels. Unfortunately, national level presentation rate data is not made available by QS.
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Table 1 below presents the overall performance of candidates in Argyll and Bute across all graded course levels at grades A-C in 2019 and 2023-2026. A comparison to national pass rates for each year is provided. This data is also replicated in the graphic below the table. Table 1 - A-C Awards 2019, 2023 - 2026 – Argyll and Bute versus Scotland (All Entries) and Scotland (LA Schools Only) – National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Awards. National 5 Year Argyll and Bute Scotland (All Entries) Scotland (LA Schools Only) Difference to National LA Schools Only 2019 79.6% 78.2% 77.2% 2.4% 2023 77.3% 78.8% 77.8% -0.5% 2024 75.6% 77.2% 76.2% -0.6% 2025 77.2% 78.4% 77.4% -0.2% 2026 75.8% 79.2% 78.4% -2.6% Higher Year Argyll and Bute Scotland (All Entries) Scotland (LA Schools Only) Difference to National LA Schools Only 2019 73.2% 74.8% 73.9% -0.7% 2023 77.3% 77.1% 75.9% 1.4% 2024 72.1% 74.9% 73.6% -1.5% 2025 73.4% 75.9% 74.8% -1.4% 2026 74.7% 76.7% 75.7% -1.0% Advanced Higher Year Argyll and Bute Scotland (All Entries) Scotland (LA Schools Only) Difference to National LA Schools Only 2019 75.7% 75.3% 76.9% -1.2% 2023 79.4% 81.3% 77.2% 2.2% 2024 76.4% 79.4% 72.2% 2.2% 2025 74.5% 76.7% 73.8% 0.7% 2026 72.5% 77.6% 75.0% -2.5%
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• The Argyll and Bute National 5 A-C pass rate has decreased by 1.4% points against 2025 and is in line with 2024. The 2026 National 5 pass rate is behind that of 2019 (-3.8% points). However, the presentation rate in 2026 is significantly higher than in 2019 – suggesting a more ambitious presentation approach. • The Argyll and Bute National 5 A-C pass rate is behind the national figure for LA Schools Only. The Argyll and Bute National 5 pass rate has exceeded the national figure in 1 of the last 5 comparator years. • The Argyll and Bute Higher A-C pass rate has increased by 1.3% points on 2025 and is 2.6% points ahead of the 2024 figure. The 2026 Higher pass rate is above that of 2019. The presentation rate for 2026 is also above 2019 and in line with 2023. • The Argyll and Bute Higher A-C pass rate is behind that of the national figure (- 1.0% points). The Argyll and Bute Higher pass rate has exceeded the national figure in 1 of the last 5 comparator years. The gap to the national figure has closed slightly compared to 2025 – moving from 1.4% points to 1.0% points. • The Argyll and Bute Advanced Higher A-C pass rate has reduced by 1.8% points on 2025, and by 3.7% points on the 2024 figure. The 2026 Advance Higher pass rate is also behind the 2019 figure (-3.0% points). However, the presentation rate in 2026 is higher than in 2019 and 2025 – suggesting a more ambitious presentation approach.
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• The Argyll and Bute Advanced Higher A-C pass rate is behind the national figure - 2.3% points). The Argyll and Bute Advanced Higher pass rate has exceeded the national figure in 3 of the last 5 comparator years. The visual below shows A-C pass rate performance at each of our secondary schools: • At National 5, 5 out of 10 secondary schools improved their pass rates against 2025. Four schools (Islay, Lochgilphead, Tiree and Tobermory) had higher pass rates than the national figure for local authority run schools. Three schools (Lochgilphead, Oban and Tiree) had 2026 National 5 pass rates that exceeded their own 2019 figure. It should be noted that presentation rates in 2019 were lower than in 2026 for most schools. • At Higher, 7 out of 10 secondary schools improved their pass rates against 2025. Five schools (Hermitage, Islay, Lochgilphead, Tiree and Tobermory) had Higher pass rates greater than the national figure for local authority run schools. Eight schools (Campbeltown, Islay, Lochgilphead, Oban, Rothesay, Tarbert, Tiree and Tobermory) had 2026 Higher pass rates that exceeded their own 2019 figure. This also occurred with greater presentation rates than in 2019. • At Advanced Higher, 3 out of 10 secondary schools improved their pass rates against 2025, with Tiree also matching their 2025 performance. Six schools had Higher pass rates greater than the national figure for local authority run schools (Campbeltown, Dunoon, Islay, Tarbert, Tiree and Tobermory). However, small numbers of Advanced Higher entries in some schools means that often the performance of an individual pupil has a significant impact on pass rates. Five schools (Dunoon, Oban, Tarbert, Tiree and Tobermory) had Advanced Higher pass rates in 2026 that exceeded their own 2019 figure.
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4.9 For A-D grades, the performance of Argyll and Bute schools in 2026 is in line with national performance at National 5, ahead at Higher and slightly behind at Advanced Higher. Table 2 below present the overall performance of candidates in Argyll and Bute across all graded course levels at grades A-D in 2019 and 2023-2026. A comparison to national pass rates for each year is provided. This data is also replicated in the graphic below the table. Table 2 A-D Awards 2019, 2023 - 2026 – Argyll and Bute versus Scotland (All Entries) and Scotland (LA Schools Only) – National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Awards. National 5 Year Argyll and Bute Scotland (All Entries) Scotland (LA Schools Only) Difference to National LA Schools Only 2019 92.1% 90.7% 90.3% 1.8% 2023 91.0% 90.5% 90.0% 1.0% 2024 88.0% 89.1% 88.5% -0.5% 2025 89.9% 89.6% 89.2% 0.7% 2026 89.4% 89.8% 89.4% 0% Higher Year Argyll and Bute Scotland (All Entries) Scotland (LA Schools Only) Difference to National LA Schools Only 2019 91.4% 89.9% 89.7% 1.7% 2023 92.2% 90.5% 90.1% 2.1% 2024 89.3% 89.5% 89.0% 0.3% 2025 89.9% 89.9% 89.5% 0.4% 2026 90.8% 90.5% 90.1% 0.7% Advanced Higher Year Argyll and Bute Scotland (All Entries) Scotland (LA Schools Only) Difference to National LA Schools Only 2019 87.6% 87.8% 86.1% 1.5% 2023 93.0% 92.7% 91.5% 1.5% 2024 90.4% 89.9% 88.5% 1.9% 2025 88.2% 90.3% 88.9% -0.7% 2026 88.7% 90.7% 89.5% -0.8%
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• The Argyll and Bute National 5 A-D pass rate has decreased by 0.5% points against 2025, but remains ahead of 2024. The 2026 National 5 pass rate is slightly behind that of 2019 (-2.7% points). However, the presentation rate in 2026 is significantly higher than in 2019 – suggesting a more ambitious presentation approach. • The Argyll and Bute National 5 A-D pass rate is exactly the same as the national figure for LA Schools Only. The Argyll and Bute National 5 pass rate has exceeded the national figure in 3 of the last 5 comparator years. • The Argyll and Bute Higher A-D pass rate has increased by 0.9% points against 2025 and is 1.5% points ahead of 2024. The 2025 Higher pass rate is slightly behind that of 2019 (-0.6% points). However, the presentation rate for 2026 is higher than that of 2019 – again denoting a more aspirational approach to presentations. • The Argyll and Bute Higher A-D pass rate is ahead of the national figure (+0.7% points). The Argyll and Bute Higher pass rate has exceeded the national figure in all of the last 5 comparator years. The gap to the national figure has grown slightly (0.7pp in 2026 and 0.4pp in 2025). • The Argyll and Bute Advanced Higher A-D pass rate has increased by 0.5% points on 2025, but remans behind performance in 2024. The 2026 Advanced Higher pass rate is slightly ahead of the 2019 figure (+1.1% points). Furthermore, the presentation rate in 2026 is higher than in 2019 – suggesting a more ambitious presentation approach.
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• The Argyll and Bute Advanced Higher A-D pass rate is behind the national figure (- 0.7pp). The Argyll and Bute Advanced Higher pass rate has exceeded the national figure in 3 of the last 5 comparator years. The visual below shows A-D pass rate performance at each of our secondary schools: • At National 5, 6 out of 10 secondary schools improved their pass rates against 2025. Seven schools (Dunoon, Hermitage, Islay, Lochgilphead, Oban, Tiree and Tobermory) had higher pass rates than the national figure for local authority run schools. Three schools (Lochgilphead, Oban and Tiree) had 2026 National 5 pass rates that exceeded their own 2019 figure. • At Higher, 4 out of 10 secondary schools improved their pass rates against 2025. Seven schools (Campbeltown, Dunoon, Hermitage, Islay, Lochgilphead, Oban and Tiree) had higher pass rates than the national figure for local authority run schools. Five schools (Campbeltown, Islay, Lochgilphead, Oban, and Tiree) had 2026 Higher pass rates that exceeded their own 2019 figure. • At Advanced Higher, 4 out of 10 secondary schools improved their pass rates against 2024, with Tarbert, Tiree and Tobermory also matching their 2025 performance. Six schools had higher pass rates than the national figure for local authority run schools (Dunoon, Lochgilphead, Rothesay, Tarbert, Tiree and Tobermory). However, small numbers of Advanced Higher entries in some schools does mean that often the performance of an individual pupil has a significant impact on pass rates. Four schools (Campbeltown, Dunoon, Oban, and Tobermory) had 2026 Advanced Higher pass rates that exceeded their own 2019 figure. Rothesay, Tarbert and Tiree also matched their 2019 performance.
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4.10 Awards per Pupil A comprehensive assessment of attainment requires consideration of both presentation rates and pass rates. While each measure offers valuable information, neither provides a complete picture when viewed in isolation. Presentation rates reflect the breadth of opportunities and qualifications undertaken by young people, whereas pass rates indicate the extent to which those qualifications are successfully achieved. Reliance on either measure alone may create perverse incentives. For instance, pass rates can be increased through highly selective presentation practices, while presentation rates can be increased by entering pupils for qualifications before they are fully ready to achieve. As a result, improvements in one measure may come at the expense of the other. Considering the two measures together therefore provides a more balanced and meaningful assessment of attainment. The ideal situation for school improvement is that both measures increase. Presentation rates increase so the average pupil is assessed on a broader range of learning. At the same time, pass rates also increase, with the quality of performance also increasing or at least being maintained. One metric which combines both is awards per pupil, which is calculated as follows: Awards per pupil = Presentation Rate (presentations per pupil) x Pass Rate (percentage of A-C passes) The result of this is a metric which tells us about the average attainment at a particular presentation level for a particular stage. The two measures used below are National 5 awards at S4 and Higher awards at S5. S4 Nat 5 Awards per Pupil The table below provides awards per pupil data for 2019 (last pre-pandemic session) and 2023-2025). Please note that pass rates here are only for S4 pupils, whilst Table 1 above (in section 4.8) is for all National 5 presentations. Awards per Pupil - S4 Nat 5 Year Presentation Rate Pass Rate Awards per Pupil 2019 4.01 82.94% 3.33 2023 4.47 79.75% 3.56 2024 4.33 79.49% 3.44 2025 4.69 80.39% 3.77 2026 4.70 78.49% 3.69 The awards per pupil table above shows that progress that has been made at S4 is becoming embedded. A very small improvement in the presentation rate was combined with a slight decline in pass rate. However, the awards per pupil figure of 3.69 remains above performance in 2019 and between 2023 and 2024.
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S5 Higher Awards per Pupil The table below provides awards per pupil data for 2019 (last pre-pandemic session) and 2023-2025). Please note that pass rates here are only for S5 pupils, whilst Table 1 (in section 4.8) above is for all Higher presentations. Awards per Pupil - S5 Higher Year Presentation Rate Pass Rate Awards per Pupil 2019 2.84 75.99% 2.16 2023 2.95 79.68% 2.35 2024 2.68 73.87% 1.98 2025 2.81 75.38% 2.12 2026 2.94 77.65% 2.28 The awards per pupil table above shows progress has been made at S5. An improvement in both the presentation rate and the pass rate means that the awards per pupil figure of 2.28 is an improvement on 2025. The 2026 awards per pupil figure is above 2019, but slightly behind performance from 2023. Against the most appropriate comparative years (2024-2025 and 2019), Higher performance of S5 pupils in 2026 is better than all comparable years. 4.11 Attainment Gaps Attainment gaps are typically measured by comparing the performance of pupils from the 20% most deprived SIMD data zones (Quintile 1) against those from the 20% least deprived SIMD data zones (Quintile 5). Each year QS publishes attainment gap analysis in their equalities monitoring report, which can be found here: Equalities Monitoring Report 2026 - QS. To draw comparisons to national attainment gaps, the same methodology has been completed with Argyll and Bute data. However, the Quintile 1 and Quintile 5 split does have some limitations which suggest we should be cautious in using this comparison. Almost 41% of all Scottish secondary pupils reside in SIMD quintiles 1 and 5. Pupils falling into these data zones within Argyll and Bute only constitute 17% of our school population. Furthermore, of this 17%, only 7% of our pupils reside in Quintile 5. As such, our sample of pupils is relatively small compared to the national sample. This is particularly problematic at Advanced Higher where entries are relatively small regardless of SIMD quintile. Small samples mean that fluctuations in the data are to be expected as the performance of individual pupils can have significant swings on overall group performance. Indeed, in 2026, there were only 15 SIMD quintile 1 pupils who presented for 21 Advanced Higher awards – meaning a single D grade would impact the A- C pass rate by just under 5%. For this reason, no comparison at Advanced Higher has been made. Comparisons for National 5 and Higher have been made as there were over 50 pupils from each quintile who completed these qualifications. The table below provides an overview of pass rate attainment gaps in both Argyll and Bute and nationally:
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Argyll and Bute National Difference between Argyll and Bute gap and National gap Presentation Type Year Q1 Pass Rate Q5 Pass Rate Attainment Gap Q1 Pass Rate Q5 Pass Rate Attainment Gap National 5 2019 72.0% 86.8% 14.8% 68.8% 85.8% 17.0% -2.2% 2024 64.1% 79.8% 15.7% 68.4% 85.6% 17.2% -1.5% 2025 70.9% 86.0% 15.1% 70.0% 86.5% 16.5% -1.4% 2026 65.7% 80.7% 15.0% 71.0% 86.6% 15.6% -1.0% Higher 2019 72.7% 79.7% 7.0% 64.9% 81.8% 16.9% -9.9% 2024 61.4% 79.2% 17.8% 65.1% 82.2% 17.1% 0.7% 2025 68.5% 82.5% 14.0% 66.1% 83.2% 17.1% -3.1% 2026 64.0% 86.3% 22.3% 67.8% 83.7% 15.9% 6.4% • The National 5 attainment gap in Argyll and Bute has closed from 15.1% points in 2025 to 15.0% points in 2026. Both Quintile 1 and Quintile 5 pass rates decreased against 2025, with both groups still ahead of 2024. The gap in 2026 is in line with data from 2019. The Argyll and Bute attainment gap has been smaller than the national attainment gap in each of the four comparison years. • The Higher attainment gap in Argyll and Bute has increased from 14% points in 2025 to 22.3% points in 2025. This increase has been driven by an increase in pass rates amongst Quintile 5 pupils matched to a decrease in Quintile 1 pupils. Quintile 5 pupils had a higher pass rate than Quintile 5 pupils nationally – beating their national counterparts by 2.6% points. • The Argyll and Bute attainment gap is greater than the national attainment gap in 2026. This was not the case in 2025 when Argyll and Bute had a lower gap than the national figure. This is driven by Quintile 1 decreasing against 2025 whilst Quintile 5 increased. The opposite happened nationally, with both groups improving but Quintile 1 improved by a greater amount. • Across the 2 measures and 4 comparison points, Argyll and Bute attainment gaps have been smaller than national attainment gaps in 6 of 8 occasions (75%).
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4.12 Care Experienced Young People (CEYP) The table below provides an overview of presentations for our CEYP by stage: Number of Presentations Stage Number of Pupils National 2 National 3 National 4 National 5 Higher Adv Higher Grand Total S4 23 1 7 39 56 103 S5 13 2 4 16 14 36 S6 12 6 13 11 2 32 Totals 48 1 9 49 85 25 2 184 The table below shows the number of CEYP pupils who presented for National Qualifications from each CE type: 2025 2026 Care Experience Type Number of Pupils Presentations Presentations per Pupil Number of Pupils Presentations Presentations per Pupil Away 28 88 3.1 17 58 3.4 Home 3 9 3.0 3 7 2.3 Previously 24 87 3.6 28 106 3.8 Grand Total 55 184 3.3 48 171 3.6 • In 2026, 17 pupils looked after away from home presented for 58 national qualifications – a rate of 3.4 per pupil. This is an increase on the presentation rate in 2025, which was 3.1. • In 2026, 28 previously care experienced pupils presented for 106 national qualifications – a rate of 3.8 per pupil. This is an increase on the presentation rate in 2025, which was 3.6. • Overall, the average care experienced pupil presented for 3.6 national qualifications. This is an increase on the 3.3 presentation rate in 2025. Pass rates for the National 5 and Higher awards are provided in the table below: Presentation Type A-C Pass Rate D Awards No Award A-D Pass Rate National 5 55.4% 24.1% 20.5% 79.5% Higher 56.0% 32.0% 12.0% 88% Advanced Higher 0% 100% 0% 100%
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The table below provides the underlying numbers of pupils and presentations as well as a comparison of pass rates against 2024 and 2025 data: National 5 Year Number of Pupils Number of Presentations Presentations per Pupil A-C Pass Rate A-D Pass Rate 2024 29 70 2.41 45.7% 74.3% 2025 27 66 2.44 62.1% 81.8% 2026 33 83 2.51 55.4% 79.5% Two Year Change: 0.10 9.7% 5.2% Higher Year Number of Pupils Number of Presentations Presentations per Pupil A-C Pass Rate A-D Pass Rate 2024 12 24 2.00 33.3% 70.8% 2025 12 25 2.08 72.0% 76.0% 2026 13 25 1.92 56.0% 88% Two Year Change: -0.08 22.7% 17.2% • The number of care experienced pupils presenting for National 5 has increased slightly, whilst the number of pupils presenting for Higher awards has remained similar across the two-year period. The presentation per pupil rate has increased for care experienced pupils sitting National 5 qualifications. • The A-C pass rate at National 5 has increased by 9.7% points against 2024. As such, over a two-year period, care experienced pupils were not only presenting for more National 5 qualifications, but they were also more likely to pass them with an A-C grade. • The A-C pass rate at Higher has increased by 22.7% points against 2024. Although the presentation rate in 2026 is slightly lower than in 2024, the improved pass rate means that the average pupil achieved more awards than in 2024 (12 pupils achieved 8 awards in 2024 compared to 13 pupils achieving 14 awards in 2026). • The A-D pass rate at National 5 has increased by 5.2% points, whilst an increase of 17.2% points also occurred at Higher level. Consequently, the rates of No Awards dropped in both presentation types. 4.13 Other Awards As a Local Authority we offer a wide range of opportunities that help to meet the needs of our individual learners, whilst also supporting a variety of pathways into secure, sustainable positive destinations. The results reported within this briefing note do not include the following presentations for our young people at this time: 1) College courses at levels 4, 5 and 6 2) National Progression Awards (NPA) at levels 4, 5 and 6
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3) Skills for Work Awards at levels 4, 5 and 6 4) Foundation Apprenticeships at level 6 In recent years such qualifications and accreditations have increased individual school attainment levels considerably, once added after the release of Insight data in February. Final attainment and achievement cannot be measured until this time. This data will be available in September and will be presented in a future board report. 5.0 Appeals 5.1 The QS Appeals Service for 2026 provides learners with the opportunity to request a marking review if they have concerns about their certificated grade. The appeals service is free and open for learners to appeal either directly to QS, or through their school. Candidates who have concerns about their grade and think there may have been an error with the marking of their exam question paper(s) or coursework, can request a marking review by QS. Since 2023 the appeals service does not entail alternative assessment evidence (e.g. prelim evidence from schools) being submitted or considered. The QS marking review checks that: • all parts of QS assessments have been marked; • the marking is in line with national standards; • the marks given for each answer have been added up correctly; and • the correct result has been entered on the QS system. Following review, the candidate’s grade can go up, stay the same, or go down. Priority Appeals continue to be available to those with university, college or employment offers pending. QS have sent directly to every candidate a copy of their Appeals Process Guidance. The appeals service opened on Results Day, Tuesday 4 August 2026 at 9 am, and the learner direct submission deadlines are: • Tuesday 11 August at 11.59 pm for priority appeals • Tuesday 25 August at 11.59pm for all other appeals An appeal can only be prioritised if there is a conditional place at university or college, or in training or employment that is dependent on the grade.
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6.0 CONCLUSION 6.1 This report presents a summary of the initial analysis of the 2026 QS external examination outcomes for Argyll and Bute pupils at authority level and in each of the ten secondary schools. 6.2 In 2026, the performance of Argyll and Bute schools compared relatively positively against results from 2025. Firstly, presentation rates at each of our three key measures improved – meaning that our schools continue to be aspirational in their approach to qualifications. Secondly, at National 5, 5 schools improved their A-C pass rates and 6 schools improved their A-D pass rates against 2025. Thirdly, at Higher, the authority A-D pass rate was above the overall national pass rate and also the local authority schools only pass rate. Furthmore, 7 schools improved their A-C pass rate at Higher. Fourthly, at Advanced Higher, six schools had an A-C pass rate which exceeded the local authority schools’ national figure. This took place in an environment where Advanced Higher pass rates were above 2025 and the pre-pandemic norm. 6.3 In terms of attainment gaps, Argyll and Bute continues to have a narrower gap than that which exists nationally at National 5. This is driven by our SIMD quintile 1 performance, which exceeds that of SIMD quintile 1 pupils nationally. At Higher the attainment gap in Argyll and Bute was greater than that experienced nationally. This was because Quintile 5 pupils in Argyll and Bute outperformed those pupils on a national level. 6.4 Progress in the attainment of Care Experienced Young People is becoming embedded. The presentation rate of care experienced pupils increased from 3.3 presentations per pupil in 2025 to 3.6 in 2026. Over a two-year period, the A-C and A-D pass rates at National 5 have increased by 9.7% and 5.2% respectively. At Higher, A-C pass rates have increased by 22.7% points and A- D rates have increased by 17.2% points when compared to 2024. 6.5 The Education Service will continue with a programme of support and challenge with all schools across the authority, involving a range of actions and measures to support schools to secure further improvement in examination outcomes for pupils. In the autumn, all secondary schools will participate in an Attainment Meeting with the Executive Director, Heads of Education, Education Manager and Education Lead for Benchmarking, Data and Performance, at which HTs will present in-depth analysis of all aspects of their schools’ attainment, and indicate key areas of focus for improvement. 6.6 A further report on Educational Attainment and Wider Achievement will be presented to Community Services Committee in December 2026 following the publication of updated national performance information on Insight released in September of each year.
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7.0 IMPLICATIONS 7.1 Policy This report links directly to Education in the Argyll and Bute Corporate Plan 2023-2027 (Attaining and achieving at all stages). NIF: Priorities 3 and 5 7.2 Financial None 7.3 Legal None 7.4 HR None 7.5 Customer Service This report provides Elected Members with an overview of Service Performance. 7.6 Risk The performance of Argyll and Bute schools in national examinations can significantly enhance or detract from the Council’s reputation and attractiveness as an area to work and live in. 7.7 Climate Change None 7.8 Fairer Scotland Duty None 7.9 Equalities This report links directly to NIF Priority 3: Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people. 7.10 Consumer Duty None 7.11 Island Communities None 7.12 The Rights of the Child (UNCRC) This report links to Article 29 (goals of education) Douglas Hendry - Executive Director with responsibility for Education Councillor Kieron Green - Policy Lead for Education For further information contact: Jennifer Crocket Chief Education Officer/ Head of Education – Wellbeing, Inclusion and Achievement Wendy Brownlie Head of Education – Performance and Improvement Brendan Docherty Education Manager – Secondary/ Performance and Improvement James Bowness Education Lead – Benchmarking, Data and Performance