GLASGOW pupils deserve "respect and admiration" after producing an impressive set of results in the first formal SQA exams in three years.

Numbers are up across the board at all levels as exams returned following the alternative certification model of 2020 and 2021.

As predicted ahead of the results day, results have fallen slightly from last year when grades were awarded by teachers.

But comparing formal exams from 2019 and this year, pupil attainment has increased.

Christina Cannon, city convener for education, communities and equalities, said: “Our young people, their families and our schools can be very proud of their achievements today with thousands of pupils receiving their SQA results.

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“These exams have been the first formal assessments post-Covid and we know that young people have faced insurmountable challenges over the last two years with lockdowns, online learning and a disruption to their learning and teaching like never before.

“But Glasgow’s results today show that our young people have risen above these difficulties and are equipped with the resilience and stamina to tackle what the future may hold for them - they have my respect and admiration for their achievements."

In 2019, 45.1% of pupils in S5 had earned five or more awards at SCQF level five, which includes National 5s.

This year that number was 52% - a rise of 6.9%.

The S5 cohort securing three or more awards at SCQF level six, which includes Highers, was 42.2% this year, up 5.4% from 36.9% in 2019.

Nearly 15,000 Glasgow pupils sat exams this year.

The sixth year cohort also achieved more Advanced Highers than ever before with 16.1% earning one Advanced Higher - up from 11.9% in 2019.

And 2.1% of S6 pupils earned three or more Advanced Highers or equivalent SCQF award, a rise of 1.2% on 2019.  

Cllr Cannon added: “Our teachers and school staff must also take credit for how their have supported and guided pupils through the uncharted waters of the pandemic but who have remained committed to making sure that their pupils attain the best possible results or pathways that will help young people onwards to the next stage of their education - whether that is university, college, an apprenticeship, training or employment.

“They must be very proud today.

"There really is no wrong path and any young person who has not got the news they were hoping for today should speak to their school who will find a suitable solution or back up plan - please reach out and speak to someone as soon as possible.”

The Glasgow result came against a backdrop of a widening of the attainment gap between the most and least deprived areas of Scotland.

Comparing the results from last year with formal exams this year, the Higher pass rate for pupils in the 20% most deprived postcodes dropped by 13% to 70.2%.

This compared to a drop of 5.9% for pupils living in the least deprived postcodes.

However the gap is narrower than in 2019, when it was 16.9 percentage points.

For National 5, the gap in 2022 was 14.6 percentage points - down from 17.1 percentage points in 2019 but up from 9.1 in 2021.

The gap for Advanced Higher was 13.2 percentage points this year - down from 13.6 percentage points in 2019 but up from 5.5 last year.

The numbers were slammed by Scottish Conservative education spokesman Oliver Mundell, who called the figures "unforgivable".

He added: "The widening attainment gap is a badge of shame for the First Minister and a shocking indictment of the SNP's dismal record on education.

"Nicola Sturgeon described eliminating it as the 'defining mission' of her Government, and yet this year the gap has widened to a chasm yet again."

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Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Willie Rennie said: "Our students deserve more from their Scottish Government than desperate spinning about the closure of the poverty-related attainment gap.

"At best the gap is stagnant, at worst it has widened depending on which year is used as a comparison.

"The SNP promised the gap would close by 2026 and these results show that the Government have little chance of achieving their number one priority."

The Scottish Government pointed to figures showing the attainment gap had narrowed between 2019 to this year.

Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville added: "This is one of the strongest ever sets of results for any exam year, which is particularly impressive given the significant challenges learners have faced as a result of the pandemic."

But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar criticised the figures.

He said: "The attainment gap is still entrenched, and this was to be a national priority of the Scottish Government to remove the attainment gap.

"I fear that the attainment gap will get even more entrenched, particularly in those more poor and deprived areas."

Other figures showed the gap between university admission rates in the least and most affluent areas was 26.7 percentage points.

The acceptance rate for 18-year-olds in the poorest areas stood at 14.6% this year, compared to 41.3% for the richest.

When compared to the last exam diet in 2019, the gap has reduced, while acceptance rates on the whole have increased from 11.4% and 39.6% respectively.