Press Release
Shetland's students maintain excellent exam results
The 2011 exam results are out and the figures show yet another good performance by Shetland’s schools and students.
619 students sat a total of 3433 exams this year including 1777 Standard Grades, 803 Higher Grades and 91 Advanced Highers as well as Intermediate and Access level qualifications.
The very high standards of previous years continue to be maintained across all of the examination results for Shetland:
87% of Advanced Higher students achieved at least one C grade or better in at least one subject, a significant increase from 67% in 2010.
80% of Higher level students achieved at least one C grade or better in at least one subject, the same figure as last year.
The percentage of Higher candidates who achieved at least one A grade also remained the same, with 5% achieving the top grade.
60% of candidates sitting Standard Grades achieved a Credit grade (grade 1 or 2), compared with 58% in 2010.
84% of candidates sitting Intermediate 2 qualifications achieved a C grade or better in at least one subject, which was an increase of 2% from 2010. There was also a 4% increase in those achieving at least one A grade at Intermediate 2.
Director of Children’s Services, Helen Budge, whose role includes schools, said “These excellent results are testament to the hard work and dedication of our pupils and the staff in schools. As an area, Shetland has very high standards when it comes to exam passes, so I’m really delighted that we are maintaining those high standards”.
Two pupils from the Anderson High School also sat a new qualification called the Scottish Baccalaureate.
The Baccalaureate was introduced for the first time in Scotland in August 2009. It can be taken in either language or science and allows the student to apply their subject knowledge in a realistic context. Students work on their own independent projects which can involve working outwith their school, perhaps in a college, workplace or within the community.
The projects help students to develop and show evidence of initiative, responsibility, and independent working — skills of real value in the world of higher education and work.