Qualifications Scotland publishes first National Qualifications Course Reports

• Course reports for each subject, at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher will be published on the Qualifications Scotland website

• Written by assessors, reports highlight learner successes and areas for improvement

• Reports provide valuable insight for teachers and lecturers preparing learners for assessments in 2027

Written by principal assessors and their senior teams once all exams and coursework have been marked and learners have received their grades, course reports aim to give teachers and lecturers a valuable overview of how learners performed in their National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher courses over the past year.

Course reports for each subject and level will be published on the Qualifications Scotland website. The first reports published today cover Applications of Mathematics, Dance, Drama, Engineering Science, English, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Fashion and Textile Technology, Gàidhlig, Graphic Communication, Health and Food Technology, Latin, Mathematics, Practical Cookery, Practical Electronics, and Statistics.

The remaining course reports will be published regularly, and schools and colleges will receive weekly updates with links to the latest available reports.

The reports contain advice for teachers, lecturers, and training practitioners identifying areas in exams and coursework where learners did well and other sections where assessors believe there are areas for improvement. Each report also includes the grade boundary data for that subject.

Donna Stewart, Chief Qualifications and Exams Officer at Qualifications Scotland said: “The analysis we provide in our course reports helps practitioners understand where learners performed well and which areas of the exam or the coursework proved to be more demanding and where improvements could be made to help learners gain more marks.

“The rise in overall attainment at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher this year shows that this approach is working and it also means teachers and lectures are familiar with the content of the course and learners are benefiting from the stability of the awarding system. Courses and assessments performed as intended meaning learners were able to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do and were recognised for it in their final grades.”

Course reports are a key component of the wider support and professional learning opportunities delivered by Qualifications Scotland to teachers, lecturers and training practitioners across the country.

Ms Stewart adds: “We want all practitioners to make use of the resources available to them, either by accessing these reports, signing up for our Understanding Standards events, or working with our School Partnership and Liaison teams, ultimately with the goal of ensuring learners are in the best possible position to demonstrate their skills, knowledge and understanding.”