SQA Examination Results 2009
As Heriot's 350th anniversary year begins, we celebrate an excellent performance by our 2008-2009 cohort of SQA candidates. The particular highlight is the achievement by S5 pupils of the School's best ever Highers results, but across the board, collectively and individually, our pupils have done themselves proud, and they all deserve to be congratulated.
The summary of Heriot's results from the 2009 SQA diet is as follows. Please note that these are pre-appeal figures and may change once the outcomes of appeals are known (if they do, it can only be upwards, as results are never downgraded by appeals).
|
|
Presentations |
Credit |
General |
Foundation |
Total
|
S4 Standard Grade |
744 |
93.4% |
6.2% |
0.4% |
100% |
|
|
Presentations |
A |
B |
C |
Total
|
S4 Intermediate 2 |
555 |
80.7% |
10.6% |
5.6% |
96.9% |
S5 Intermediate 2 |
31 |
35.5% |
48.4% |
6.59% |
90.3% |
S5 Higher |
771 |
59.5% |
24.6% |
11.5% |
95.7% |
S6 Higher |
157 |
38.9% |
31.8% |
15.3% |
86.0% |
S6 Advanced Higher |
264 |
46.6% |
25.0% |
17.8% |
89.4% |
In addition there were 9 S6 pupils who sat AS Level Film Studies (all passed, eight with As and one with a B), and 11 who sat A Level Art (all passed, six with As, three with Bs and two with Cs).
We would like to highlight the following aspects of the performance in each age group.
S4
It was another very good year for S4, with the overall results very much on a par with the strong record of the recent years.
41 pupils in total, representing 24.4% of the cohort, each achieved top grades in all eight of their subjects (i.e. all Credit 1s or a mixture of Credit 1s and Grade As).
S5
At the benchmark level of Higher, special plaudits go to our S5 pupils on gaining the best results on record at Heriot's. Not only did they achieve an overall pass rate in excess of 95%, but they did so with the high average presentation rate of 4.6 Highers per candidate and an excellent average of 4.4 Higher passes per candidate. The near 60% of their presentations resulting in A grades is impressive, but amongst the Bs and Cs are personal bests for numerous pupils and these are equally laudable.
S5 HIGHER RESULTS 6 YEAR TREND A-C passes
|
|
2004-05 |
2005-06 |
2006-07 |
2007-08 |
2008-09 |
All |
94.5% |
94.8% |
94.1% |
93.9% |
95.7% |
Girls |
97.3% |
95.8% |
96.2% |
93.3% |
96.6% |
Boys |
92.8% |
93.8% |
92.5% |
94.4% |
94.7% |
34 pupils, representing 20.2% of the cohort, each achieved five or six Grade As.
The compilation of exam results from all the Scottish independent schools provided by the Scottish Council of Independent Schools in late August revealed that Heriot's Highers results were surpassed, by a very small margin, by those of only one other school in the country, a small specialist music school with an entry of 8 candidates sitting 23 Highers between them. Since the publication of the SCIS tables, a pre-appeal verification process has resulted in the upgrade of two Highers results of Heriot's pupils, with the consequence that Heriot's figure of 95.7% A-C pass rate is the best in the country.
S6
The S6 results also reflect very well on the year group and maintain the strong record of recent years. There was a significantly higher number of A grades at Advanced Higher, and one pupil achieved 5 As, an extraordinary feat at this level.
These results are tribute to outstanding professionalism on the part of teaching staff in the classroom, excellent guidance work, and of course the enthusiasm, hard work and dedication of the pupils themselves. They are also great testimony to the Heriot's ethos of encouraging effort and supporting all our pupils, Junior and Senior alike, to reach their best whatever their level. As the final chapter of a session in which Heriot's pupils also achieved notable successes in a very wide range of extra-curricular activities the 2008-2009 results are cause for celebration.
Alistair Hector Headmaster August 2009