SCHOOL ATTAINMENT IN SCOTLAND: 1992-93 TO 1998-99
A National Statistics Publication
The Scottish Executive Education Department has today published
a News Release giving information about the academic and vocational qualifications
achieved by young people at school in Scotland.
This News Release covers the achievement of National Certificate
qualifications, Scottish Certificate of Education (Standard Grades and Higher
Grades), and Certificate of Sixth Year Studies. The tables include information
on qualifications achieved by school sector (publicly funded or independent),
by subject, and by gender.
The News Release and accompanying tables can be found on the
Scottish Executive Web Site : www.scotland.gov.uk
The main findings are: -
- The number of S4 pupils gaining 5 or more Standard Grade passes has continued
to rise from 87 per cent in 1992-93 to 91 per cent in 1998-99. The number
of S4 pupils gaining 5 or more Credit passes has also continued to rise from
25 per cent in 1992-93 to 34 per cent in 1998-99. (Table 1)
- The percentage of the S4 cohort (in the previous year) who achieved Higher
Grade passes in S5 has remained relatively stable over the period from 1992-93
to 1998-99, with 23 per cent having gained 3 or more Highers and 8 per cent
with 5 or more Highers in 1998-99. However, pupils in independent schools
performed better, with 60 per cent gaining 3 or more Highers and 37 per cent
achieving 5 or more in 1998-99. (Table 2)
- The proportion of S4 pupils (two years previously) who achieved 1 or more
Higher Grade passes in S6 has remained steady over the last 3 years at around
30 per cent, and at around 7 per cent for the achievement of 3 or more Highers.
One or more CSYS passes were obtained by 11 per cent of the relevant S4 cohort.
Again, pupils in independent schools performed better, with almost double
the percentage attaining 1 or more Highers in S6 (55 per cent), 15 per cent
achieving 3 or more Highers, and 27 per cent who passed 1 or more CSYS. (Table
3)
- Girls generally performed better than boys in 1998-99, in both publicly
funded and independent schools. In S4, 28 per cent of boys achieved 5 or more
Credit passes in Standard Grade compared to 39 per cent of girls. In S5, 1
in 5 boys from the previous S4 gained 3 or more Highers compared to 1 in 4
girls (20 and 26 per cent respectively). In S6, one quarter of the relevant
S4 population of boys achieved at least one Higher compared to one third of
girls (26 and 34 per cent respectively). In independent schools, two thirds
of the girls in S4 in the previous year achieved 3 or more Highers in S5 in
1998-99. (Table 4)
- The percentage of the S4 school roll who achieved Standard Grades in particular
subjects is generally a reflection of the popularity of that subject, since
the vast majority of presentations at Standard Grade achieve an award at levels
1 to 6. In 1998-99, 94 per cent of pupils in S4 passed Standard Grade English
and 93 per cent passed Standard Grade Mathematics. French was the next most
popular subject, with over half of S4 pupils having obtained this subject
at Standard Grade (57 per cent). (Table 5)
- There were differences in the popularity of subjects at Standard Grade between
boys and girls, and this can be seen in the percentages of the S4 school rolls
for boys and girls who achieve Standard Grades in each subject. However, overall
passes at 1-6 for those who presented for the subjects are very similar for
boys and girls. Girls generally performed better, with more of those presenting
for Standard Grade subjects achieving Credit level awards than boys, even
for some subjects which are traditionally more popular with boys. This is
most noticeable in 1998-99 for the Physics Standard Grade where, although
41 per cent of boys and 19 per cent of girls in S4 in Scotland achieved a
Standard Grade, 68 per cent of girls who attempted Physics achieved a Credit
award compared to 57 per cent of boys. (Table 5a)
- In 1998-99, 27 per cent (of the S4 roll in the previous year) passed Higher
Grade English in S5, and 16 per cent gained Higher Grade Mathematics. The
next most popular subjects at Higher Grade in S5 were Chemistry and Physics,
with around one in ten having passed these subjects. (Table 6)
- At Higher Grade, there were similar gender differences in the popularity
of subjects. As with Standard Grades, in 1998-99 girls outperformed boys in
some subjects traditionally popular with boys, with Physics being the most
obvious. A higher percentage of boys (from S4 in the previous year) achieved
this subject at Higher Grade than girls, yet more girls who attempted Physics
obtained a pass than did boys, and a higher percentage of girls achieved a
pass at level A. However, at Higher Grade there were subjects which were more
popular with girls, but where a higher percentage of boys achieved Grade A
passes, such as Human Biology and Spanish. (Table 6a)
- Boys outperformed girls at the highest level for Mathematics and Chemistry,
with 20 per cent and 24 per cent respectively attaining Grade A passes compared
to 18 per cent and 21 per cent of girls. (Table 6a)
- Between 1992-93 and 1998-99, there have been large increases in the percentage
of S4 pupils who gained passes at Standard Grade in Biology (from 31 per cent
to 36 per cent), Physical Education (from 19 per cent to 26 per cent) and
German (from 16 per cent to 25 per cent). The percentages of S4 pupils who
achieved a Standard Grade in Graphic Communication and Drama have more than
doubled over the same period (from 4 per cent to 12 per cent and 3 per cent
to 7 per cent respectively). (Table 7)
- The percentage of S4 pupils who achieved a Standard Grade in French writing
fell from 31 per cent in 1992-93 to 22 per cent in 1998-99. Over the same
period there was also a decrease in the percentage who gained a Standard Grade
in Technological Studies, from 9 per cent to 6 per cent. (Table 7)
- Between 1992-93 and 1998-99, the percentages of S4 pupils (from the previous
year) who gained passes in S5 at Higher Grade in Human Biology and Management
& Information Studies have more than doubled (from 0.2 to 1.3 per cent
and 0.3 to 0.8 per cent). The percentage who achieved a Higher Grade in Computing
Studies almost doubled over the same period, from 2 per cent to 3.7 per cent.
There were decreases in the percentages who achieved Higher Grades in Chemistry
and Physics over the same period, from 10.3 to 9.3 per cent and 10.6 to 9.0
per cent respectively. (Table 8)
- There has been a steady rise in the percentage of S5/S6 pupils who have
achieved at least one National Certificate module, from 60 per cent in 1992-93
to 65 per cent in 1998-99. (Table 9)
- Over two thirds of S5 pupils achieved at least one National Certificate
module in 1998-99. In fact, almost one quarter gained between 5 and 9 successes.
(Table 10)
- Around half of the S4 pupils who gained Standard Grades in 1998-99 were
successful in at least one National Certificate module. Two per cent of S4
pupils in 1998-99 did not achieve any Standard Grades or National Certificate
Modules. (Table 11)
- Twelve per cent of S5 pupils did not gain any Higher Grades or National
Certificate Modules in 1998-99. It should be noted that some S5 pupils leave
at Christmas and are therefore unable to achieve a Higher Grade, although
some may obtain modules during first term. Also, some schools in Scotland
offer alternative courses to Higher Grade and National Certificate Modules,
and the achievement of these courses is not included in this analysis. (Table
12)
- There were a total of 385,310 National Certificate Module enrolments by
school pupils in 1998-99. Of these, 73 per cent resulted in full successes.
(Table 13)
- The most popular National Certificate modules for school pupils in 1998-99
were Work Experience 1, Communication 3, Core Mathematics 4 and Introduction
to Literature. (Table 14)
TABLES
Table 1: Standard Grade qualifications
by school sector for S4 pupils: 1992-93 to 1998-99.
Table 2: Higher Grade qualifications by school
sector for S5 pupils: 1992-93 to 1998-99.
Table 3: Higher Grade & CSYS qualifications
by school sector for S6 pupils: 1996-97 to 1998-99.
Table 4: Standard Grade, Higher Grade & CSYS
qualifications by stage, school sector and gender: 1998-99.
Table 5: Standard Grade qualifications by subject
for S4 pupils: 1998-99.
Table 5a: Standard Grade qualifications by subject
and gender for S4 pupils: 1998-99.
Table 6: Higher Grade qualifications by subject
for S5 pupils: 1998-99.
Table 6a: Higher Grade qualifications by subject
and gender for S5 pupils: 1998-99.
Table 7: Standard Grade qualifications by subject
for S4 pupils: 1992-93 to 1998-99.
Table 8: Higher Grade qualifications by subject
for S5 pupils: 1992-93 to 1998-99.
Table 9: Full successes in National Certificate
Modules by stage and number of successes: 1992-93 to 1998-99.
Table 10: Number of full successes in National
Certificate Modules by stage: 1998-99.
Table 11: Percentage of S4 pupils who achieved
combinations of Standard Grades and National Certificate Modules: 1998-99.
Table 12: Percentage of S5 pupils who achieved
combinations of Higher Grades and National Certificate Modules: 1998-99.
Table 13: National Certificate Module results
by Superclass II for school pupils: 1998-99.
Table 14: 50 most popular National Certificate
Modules for school pupils: 1998-99.
NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS
1. Sources
1.1 The tables in this News Release show the attainment of pupils in all publicly
funded and independent schools in Scotland.
1.2 Data on National Certificate (NC), Scottish Certificate of Education (SCE)
and Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (CSYS) qualifications are obtained from
the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
1.3 Many independent schools offer O level and A level examinations, which
are not included in these tables. It should be noted, therefore, that the percentage
of school roll gaining qualifications in independent schools may not accurately
reflect the achievement of pupils in these schools
1.4 School roll figures were obtained from the Scottish Executive School Census
as at September in the relevant year.
2. Definitions
2.1 Standard Grade is certificated at 3 levels: Credit (grades 1 and 2), General
(grades 3 and 4), Foundation (grades 5 and 6) with a grade 7 being awarded to
those who complete the course only. In the following tables, grades 1 to 6 only
are included.
2.2 National Certificate modules are awarded for successful completion of the
course.
2.3 Higher Grades are awarded at levels A-D. Awards at levels A-C are regarded
as a pass.
2.4 CSYS courses are awarded at levels A-E. Awards at levels A-C are regarded
as a pass.
2.5 Publicly funded secondary schools include education authority, grant-aided
and self-governing schools.
2.6 The following symbols have been used:
- nil or less than half the final digit
* not applicable
3. National Statistics Statement
This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced
to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice.
They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer
needs. They are produced free from any political interference.
4. Enquiries
4.1 Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this News
Release should be addressed to Wilma Schofield, Statistician, The Scottish Executive
Education Department, Education Statistics, Area 1-A West, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ. Telephone 0131 244 0303 or e-mail to: wilma.schofield@scotland.gov.uk.
4.2 Media enquiries about the information in this News Release should be addressed
to:
Contact: Liz Peopall: (0131) 244 3070
News Release: SE2075/00
Internet: www.scotland.gov.uk
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