Aberdeenshire pupils gain as National 5 slips

beehiveweb.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-04 14:24 3 min read

Group of young students walking together outside on a paved school grounds area.

By the Beehive Web editorial team | Published 4 August 2026

Source context: This report is based on Aberdeenshire Council’s initial area-wide results released on exam results day.

National 5 was the only reported qualification pass rate to fall in Aberdeenshire, slipping one percentage point from 82% to 81%. Advanced Higher moved in the opposite direction, rising from 72% to 73%, while the Higher pass rate remained at 77%.

The figures cover 6,508 pupils who took 29,498 exams across 69 subjects. Alongside the mixed qualification rates, 799 pupils completed a full Foundation Apprenticeship, producing what the council described as its strongest overall completion rate yet.

Top qualification milestones across S4 to S6

Among S5 pupils, 93 achieved five straight A passes at Higher. A further 82 pupils in S6 gained four or more Advanced Higher awards, while 1,682 S4 pupils secured five qualifications at National 5 level.

Aberdeenshire Council’s initial attainment analysis found that 43% of S4 pupils achieved at least five qualifications at SCQF level five with grades from A to C. The equivalent reported thresholds were three or more SCQF level six awards for 34% of S5 pupils and five or more level six awards for 28% of S6 pupils.

Head of Education Susan Smith said more S5 pupils had achieved at least three level six awards than last year. She also reported an increase in S6 pupils gaining five or more qualifications at that level, although the council release did not provide the previous percentages needed to measure the size of either change.

Pass rates show stability alongside small movement

Qualification	Aberdeenshire pass rate
National 2, 3 and 4	100%, unchanged
National 5	81%, down from 82%
Higher	77%, unchanged
Advanced Higher	73%, up from 72%

The table points to stability across most reported levels rather than a uniform rise or decline. National 5 and Advanced Higher each moved by one percentage point, but in different directions.

These are area-wide results and do not include school-by-school or subject-level comparisons. They also do not establish why a rate changed: differences in candidates, subjects or entries cannot be assessed from the published totals alone.

Aberdeenshire pupils gain as National 5 slips

The stable Higher pass rate can also sit alongside the council’s report of increased Higher-level attainment. A pass rate measures the share of entries that passed, while the attainment figures describe how many qualifications pupils accumulated by particular school stages.

Foundation Apprenticeships record an 87% completion rate

Foundation Apprenticeships produced the clearest record result in the council’s release. The successful completion rate reached 92% for level six programmes and 79% across levels four and five, giving an overall rate of 87%.

Almost 800 pupils—799 in total—completed the full qualification. Lead Officer for Developing the Young Workforce Andrew Ritchie said the programmes combine academic and vocational learning with workplace experience, giving pupils an additional route into training and employment.

Aberdeenshire Council described itself as Scotland’s largest Foundation Apprenticeship provider and said the results were significantly above the national average. No national comparison figure was included in the release, so the size of that difference cannot be calculated from the published data.

The council now intends to offer more than 1,000 Foundation Apprenticeship opportunities next year. That target refers to available opportunities rather than a forecast of how many pupils will complete the qualification.

Results advice remains available for pupils

Director of Education Laurence Findlay said pupils should not feel they have to make decisions about their futures alone. Careers guidance is available for those considering further education, training, apprenticeships or employment, regardless of the results they received.

The Developing the Young Workforce’s No Wrong Path campaign also sets out different routes available after school. Skills Development Scotland’s results helpline is available on 0808 100 8000.

Source: Aberdeenshire Council News

Context & actions About this article

Source check How this report was checked

The article separates reported pass rates, pupil attainment milestones and apprenticeship completion figures while identifying comparisons that were not supplied.

Checks

Matched current qualification pass rates with the stated previous-year rates.
Kept exam attainment figures separate from Foundation Apprenticeship completion rates.
Checked the reported pupil, exam and subject totals against the council release.
Flagged where school-level, subject-level and national comparison figures were absent.

Aberdeenshire Council News Check independent coverage