Outstanding Exam Results at ESS

August 6 2024

Congratulations to those Upper School pupils who received exam results today, Tuesday 6th August.

With this year marking the return of full coursework assessment following the disruption during the pandemic, Edinburgh Steiner School’s Higher exam results in 2024 were outstanding, with particularly strong performances in the sciences, history, English and art.

The overall pass rate (A-C) for Edinburgh Steiner School (ESS) Higher results was 94% – the highest of recent years – with 60% of all Higher results graded ‘A’ and the combined percentage of ‘A’ and ‘B’ grade results totalling 82%.

Over the long term, these results continue a gradual upward trend in exam performance for our pupils (especially in the top grades), taking the 5-year running mean pass rate for Higher – a combined average of the results for the current year plus the previous four years – back over 91% and close to an all-time high.

• The national pass rate (A-C) was significantly lower than 94%  (74.9%, down from 77.1% in 2023).
• Several ESS pupils received the coveted string of ‘straight As’.

The ESS pass rate (A-C) for National 5 (for exam courses which were sat mostly by pupils in Classes 10 and 11) was very good (86.2%), with the vast majority (77.5%) of ESS results at grades A or B. Well over half (61.2%) of all National 5 results in 2024 were at grade A and a large proportion of ESS pupils received ‘straight As’.

• The national pass rate (A-C) was lower than 86.2% at 77.2%

Advanced Higher results (Art & Design) were also outstanding, with all candidates achieving an ‘A’ grade for the fourth consecutive year in a row.

Of the 12 presentations for National 4, all candidates passed.

The leaving cohort of Class 12 pupils was delighted that everyone was accepted into their first choice university place, a testament to the way the pupils are prepared for their onward journey into the wider world. This year, ESS pupils are heading off to study a huge diversity of subjects, from physics to English and optometry to history. Several of our pupils are progressing their skills across the arts by studying drama or the visual arts. We are thrilled to see what the future holds for them.

These results are especially impressive, given that national pass rates have fallen for a second year in a row. The results are a well-deserved reward for all the hard work and commitment demonstrated by Upper School pupils and their teachers.