Straight As are the dream exam results and these High School of Dundee pupils have made that a reality.
Five of the school’s top performing students told us what it was like to see the highest grades on their certificates.
Jaydan Wallace, Ed York, Shan Scott, Mariella Rodger and Amy Leburn are among 145,000 pupils across Scotland to receive their long-awaited exam results by post, email and text today.
High School of Dundee exam results success
They gathered at the independent city school this morning to share how they had done in their National 5s and Highers.
Amy, 17, from Cupar, was delighted with five As at Higher level and hopes to add to that in sixth year.
She said: “It was a bit of a shock. A couple of them I was a bit iffy on so I’m so happy and relieved.
“I managed to push it [exam results] to the back of my mind and enjoy most of my holidays but over the last couple of days it’s been scary waiting.
Setting the alarm for results
“I set my alarm this morning so I would definitely be up on time. When the text came through I saw the first one, biology, at the top and it was an A. That was the one I was worried about.”
She is considering studying chemistry at university when she leaves school.
Although he had been told to expect As in his five Highers, nerves kicked in for Jaydan, 17, as the big day loomed.
He said: “I’m happy now but I was pretty nervous last night.”
Fortunately Jaydan, who is from Freuchie but now lives in Dundee, had signed up to receive his results by text message.
A blank email
He was one of around 7,000 pupils to receive a blank email from the Scottish Qualifications Authority this morning.
He said: “The text came through first so I wasn’t too worried about it. I would have been scared if I got the email first and didn’t get a text.”
Having completed fifth year, Jaydan is about to start an apprenticeship in software development at Heriot Watt University.
Ed, 16, from Broughty Ferry, studied for eight National 5s.
He said: “I’m very pleased with my results. I managed to get eight As.”
His results were as he expected. “Going into exams I felt prepared; I had revised. They went well, especially with the practice exams we did the year before.”
In fifth year he has chosen his Higher subjects around business and economics, which is what he would like to study at university.
Shan’s eight As in Nat 5s were all band ones barring one, for which illness prevented him attending the exam.
He said: “I’m still very happy with that. I expected I might get one B so I’m very happy I made the straight As.”
Shan, 16, forgot to sign up to get his results by text. As the post was yet to arrive at his home in Errol, Perthshire, he only learned them moments before speaking to The Courier at school.
He said: “It was just as I was sitting here waiting that one of the teachers who had the results told me!”
He plans to study a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subject, perhaps astrophysics, at university. As he speaks German, he may do so in Germany.
Mariella also only learned her National 5 results when she arrived at the school at around 10am.
The 16-year-old from Monifieth said: “I was expecting As but there were band ones I wasn’t expecting which is nice. I’m relieved.
Proud rector
“I wasn’t super worried about it. I’m a fairly calm person and I felt I did well in my exams.”
University is also Mariella’s goal, perhaps to study business marketing.
Overall at Higher level, the school’s pass rate was 89.2% with 54.1% A grades.
In National 5s the pass rate was 95.3% with 71.8% A grades.
Rector Lise Hudson said: “I am delighted for our pupils. They should be very proud of their results, which are the culmination of a huge amount of effort both from the pupils and from their teachers who work incredibly hard to nurture and inspire all of our young people.”
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