Attainment Reporting Series 2024: Dual Entry Patterns

 

Introduction

This report is a summary of dual entries in the 2024 examination diet following the completion of appeals and other post-certification procedures. A dual entry is where a candidate has been entered for both National 4 and National 5 levels of a given subject in an examination diet. This report explores the entry and attainment profiles of National 5 candidates and considers the impact of dual entry over the six-year period from 2019 to 2024. It is important to note that these years covered the COVID-19 pandemic and were atypical in a number of ways. It is unclear to what extent entry patterns were influenced by the particular circumstances of the global pandemic, but these factors should be carefully considered when reading the contents of this report.

As part of the Evaluation of the 2023 Approach to the Assessment of Graded National Courses, the trends in dual entry patterns was evaluated due to the notable increase in dual entries. This report is a continuation and includes data from 2024.

Approach to awarding prior to 2020

Prior to 2020, the Scottish examination system had been in a period of change since the introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). The introduction of Revised National Qualification (RNQ) made changes to the assessment of National 5 courses in 2018, Higher courses in 2019, and Advanced Higher courses in 2020. Units and unit assessments were removed and each course assessment was adjusted accordingly.

Additionally, until 2019, the Recognising Positive Achievement (RPA) measure was in place, which meant that those who were unsuccessful at National 5 received an automatic fallback to National 4, if all necessary units were complete.

Approach to awarding 2020 to 2024

In 2020, the Deputy First Minister directed SQA to issue grades primarily on the basis of teacher estimates. Grades that had been adjusted upwards in an earlier moderation process were also retained. The moderation process used in 2020 is described in detail in the methodology report for 2020.

In 2021, the Scottish Government commissioned SQA to develop an Alternative Certification Model (ACM 2021) for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher. This model was developed by the National Qualifications 2021 Group, which included representatives from the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES), Colleges Scotland, Education Scotland, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), School Leaders Scotland (SLS), the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the Scottish Government, National Parent Forum of Scotland, and the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP). The model is based on teacher judgement, supported by assessment resources and quality assurance. The approach to certification adopted by SQA in 2021 is described in detail in the methodology report for 2021.

In 2022, SQA worked with partners across the education sector, including teachers, lecturers, learners, parents and carers, throughout the year to agree the wide-ranging package of support that was put in place to enable learners to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do, despite the disruption to learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. SQA implemented various modifications and revision support to reduce the assessment requirements for courses and increase learning and teaching time. Further details about the approach to awarding in 2022 can be found in the methodology report.

In 2023, awarding operated using the established procedure as far as possible to evaluate the performance of the course assessment, but with consideration given to the following factors:

  • Impact of reducing legacy of disruption to teaching and learning caused by the pandemic.
  • Impact of modifications to course assessment.
  • Impact of the removal of revision support.

Awarding decisions were therefore ‘sensitive’ to these factors, ensuring that grade boundary decisions recognised that performance continued to be impacted. This was informed by the full range of qualitative and quantitative data used during awarding, with additional data from 2021–22 on the impact of modifications. Further details about the approach to awarding in 2023 can be found in the methodology report.

In 2024, awarding used the well-established pre-pandemic procedures to evaluate the performance of the course assessment and, where appropriate, considered the impact of changes to assessment brought about by the return to full course assessment for many courses. These changes to assessment included removing optionality in some question papers reintroducing:

  • Coursework components (projects, assignments, dissertations).
  • Optional content into question papers.
  • Course content examined in question papers.
  • An exam component.

Further details about the approach to awarding in 2024 can be found in the methodology report.

Source of data

Attainment statistics

National Qualification data is collected at the beginning of November following the completion of appeals and other post-certification procedures. The data is collected at around the same time each year to aid year-on-year comparisons.

Confidentiality and rounding

Percentages, percentage changes, and percentage point (pp) changes are calculated using figures prior to rounding. Percentages with a value greater than zero and less than 0.05% are marked up with the shorthand [low]. Values are calculated using figures prior to rounding; the sum of rounded figures may differ from the total reported. Where not applicable is relevant, any cells containing are marked up with the shorthand [z].

Full cohort attainment patterns can be found in the Attainment Statistical Summary published on the SQA website.

 

Entry overview

A candidate is classed as ‘dual entered’ if they were entered to both National 4 and National 5 in the same year for a single course. Conversely, entries that were not dual entered are referred to as ‘single entered’. National 5 single entries also include courses that do not have a corresponding National 4 to ensure all National 5 entries are included in the overall analysis.

The total number of National 5 entries in 2024 is 327,975, which is the largest National 5 cohort on record and represents an increase of 6,590 from 321,385 in 2023, and an increase of 39,415 from 288,560 in 2019.

In 2024, a total of 30,085 records were dual entered, a decrease of 1,255 from 31,340 in 2023. Conversely, there was an increase in dual entries from 2022 and 2019 (21,585 and 17,075, respectively).

Table 1: Volume of entries by type, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry 17,075 10,270 10,310 21,585 31,340 30,085
Single entry 271,485 290,415 287,830 288,680 290,045 297,890
Total entries 288,560 300,685 298,135 310,265 321,385 327,975

Proportionally, the number of dual entries in 2024 was 9.2%. This represents a decrease of 0.6% from 9.8% in 2023.

Across the reporting period the proportion of dual entries has steadily increased. Pre-COVID levels in 2019 show 5.9% of entries were dual entered to both National 4 and National 5 levels for a course. However, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic the proportion of dual entries declined to 3.4% and 3.5% in 2020 and 2021, before doubling to 7.0% in 2022.

Figure 1: Percentage of National 5 entries by type, from 2019 to 2024.

Dual entry Single entry 9.2 90.8 9.8 90.2 7.0 93.0 3.5 96.5 3.4 96.6 5.9 94.1 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

 

Table 2: Percentage of National 5 entries by type, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry 5.9% 3.4% 3.5% 7.0% 9.8% 9.2%
Single entry 94.1% 96.6% 96.5% 93.0% 90.2% 90.8%

 

Attainment overview

Attainment rates

Single entry candidates consistently achieve a higher proportion of A grades compared to their dual entered counterparts. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A attainment rate of 41.2%, which is 33.7 percentage points (pp) higher than thoses dual entered in the same year (7.5%). This attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period: 34.6 pp in 2023; 35.9 pp in 2022; 39.9 pp in 2021; 39.1 pp in 2020 and 35.0 pp in 2019.

A similar pattern is observed for the attainment of A to C grades. Single entry candidates have a higher attainment rate than dual entry candidates. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A to C attainment rate of 80.6%, which is 36.1 pp more than those dual entered in the same year (44.6%). Again, this attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period: 35.8 pp in 2023; 35.4 pp in 2022; 46.2 pp in 2021; 43.1 pp in 2020 and a notable increase of 67.2 pp in 2019.

Both A and A to C attainment rates for dual entries climbed during the COVID-19 pandemic and these rates have been maintained. These higher attainment rates suggest a shift in the dual entry cohort or ability.

Table 3: Summary of dual and single entry attainment rates, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type Grade(s) 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry A 2.2% 4.6% 8.1% 7.8% 7.6% 7.5%
Single entry A 37.2% 43.7% 48.1% 43.7% 42.2% 41.2%
Dual entry A to C 15.0% 47.4% 41.2% 48.6% 46.5% 44.6%
Single entry A to C 82.2% 90.5% 87.3% 84.1% 82.4% 80.6%

Attainment by grade

Analysis of the full grade breakdown of both dual and single entry candidates in 2024 further highlights the performance of these sub-cohorts at a grade level. The two cohorts display alternate patterns; the single entry candidate attainment is skewed towards an A grade, whereas dual entry candidate attainment is skewed towards No Award.

Attainment by grade graphs
Figure 2.1: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment in 2024.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Figure 2.2: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment in 2023.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Figure 2.3: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment in 2022.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Figure 2.4: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment in 2021.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Figure 2.5: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment in 2020.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Figure 2.6: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment in 2019.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

 

Table 4: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type Grade 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry A 2.2% 4.6% 8.1% 7.8% 7.6% 7.5%
Single entry A 37.2% 43.7% 48.1% 43.7% 42.2% 41.2%
Dual entry B 5.0% 10.1% 11.3% 16.0% 14.4% 14.3%
Single entry B 25.0% 25.1% 21.0% 23.5% 23.1% 22.5%
Dual entry C 7.8% 32.8% 21.8% 24.9% 24.6% 22.7%
Single entry C 20.0% 21.6% 18.2% 16.9% 17.0% 17.0%
Dual entry D 8.2% 29.5% 20.9% 26.4% 25.7% 24.8%
Single entry D 12.8% 6.3% 7.8% 9.6% 10.1% 10.4%
Dual entry No Award 76.8% 23.1% 37.9% 25.0% 27.8% 30.6%
Single entry No Award 5.0% 3.2% 4.8% 6.3% 7.5% 8.9%

 

Dual entry by candidate

To gain a deeper understanding of the dual entry experience from a candidate’s perspective, the number of dual entries for each National 5 candidate is highlighted for each year in the reporting period. In 2024, 64,250 candidates were not dual entered for any course (77.6% of candidates). Consistently, the majority of candidates are not dual entered for any course, in 2023, this was 76.7%, 82.8% in 2022, 90.8% in 2021, 91.1% in 2020 and 82.6% in 2019.

The number of candidates dual entered for more than one course has risen substantially since 2019. For two courses this has more than doubled from 1,845 in 2019 to 4,220 in 2024. For three courses this figure has risen from 440 to 1,835. The number of candidates with four, five six and seven dual entries has also risen from 2019 to 2024.

Table 5: Detailed breakdown of the number of dual entries per candidate, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Number of dual entries 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
0 66,090 74,415 73,595 67,520 62,880 64,250
1 11,545 5,345 5,490 9,005 11,460 11,420
2 1,845 1,270 1,320 3,180 4,450 4,220
3 440 405 455 1,275 2,010 1,835
4 95 175 135 400 840 750
5 20 65 40 125 245 255
6 [c] 25 10 25 50 70
7 0 [c] [c] [c] 10 5
8 0 0 0 [c] 0 0

 

Dual entry by centre type

Across the years studied, dual entries primarily come from local authority centre types. In 2024, 99.3% of dual entries were from local authority centres - a decrease from 99.6% in 2023 and an increase from 98.7% in 2019. A dual entry candidate’s assigned centre is allocated from their National 5 entry.

For reference, the centre type proportions for all National 5 entries are also shown in Table 6. In 2024 a total of 93.4% of all National 5 entries were from local authority centre types. This assures that the high dual entry proportion coming from local authority centres is not unlikely given the high proportion of National 5 entries from these centres, across the years presented.

Table 6: Summary of dual entries by centre type and entry type, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Centre type Entry type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
FE college All entries 1.3% 1.2% 0.9% 0.7% 0.7% 0.8%
FE college Dual entries 0.8% [low] [low] [low] [low] 0.2%
Independent All entries 6.3% 6.1% 6.3% 6.1% 6.0% 5.8%
Independent Dual entries 0.4% 0.2% 0.3% 0.4% 0.3% 0.5%
Local authority All entries 92.4% 92.6% 92.7% 93.1% 93.3% 93.4%
Local authority Dual entries 98.7% 99.8% 99.7% 99.6% 99.6% 99.3%
Other All entries [low] 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Other Dual entries [low] 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%

While not presented here to prevent disclosure of individual local authorities, the dual entry proportion for each local authority ranges vastly across Scotland. In 2024, a range of dual entries, from 0.7% to 26.2% was noted, highlighting the variability to dual entry approaches across the country. To prevent disclosure of local authority centres, these are categorised into ranges of dual entries as shown below in Table 7.

Table 7: Summary of centres presenting dual entries as a proportion of their total entries, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Dual entry proportion 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
0% 20 157 146 100 59 41
0.01-5% 181 127 145 116 104 130
5.01-15% 143 65 57 93 112 122
15.01-25% 14 13 18 46 57 39
25.01-50% 9 7 6 15 38 32
50.01-75% 0 0 0 1 0 2

Although the largest proportion of dual entries by a single local authority was 26.2% in 2024, this does not reflect actions of individual centres. In 2024, of all local authority centres, 41 did not dual enter. 130 centres dual entered between 0.01 and 5% of their National 5 entries, 122 centres dual entered between 5.01 and 15% of their National 5 entries, 39 centres dual entered between 15.01 and 25% of their National 5 entries, 32 centres dual entered between 25.0 and 50% of their National 5 entries and 2 centres dual entered between 50.01 and 75% of their National 5 entries. In each year, no centre dual entered more than 75.01% of their National 5 entries.

Notably, the 25.01-50% category has increased more than three-fold in 2024 compared to 2019, rising from 9 to 32 centres.

 

Dual entry estimates

SQA collects attainment estimates for each candidate entered to each qualification, where possible, from centres every year as a part of the procedure for awarding National Courses. Centres provide estimates of attainment against the national standard as bands on a 9-point scale that is associated with notional percentage ranges and is converted to a grade for the purpose of this analysis. This is described in more detail in our Estimates publication.

To understand the dual entry cohort in more detail, a summary of their National 5 estimates are shown in Table 8. In 2024, 34.3% of dual entered candidates across all subjects were estimated an A-C grade. This is an increase of 2.5 pp from 2023 and 6.7 pp from 2019. The proportion of dual entry candidates estimated No Award has decreased from 45.2% in 2019 to 36.0% in 2024.

Table 8: Summary of National 5 estimated grades for dual entries, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Estimated grade 2019* 2022 2023 2024
A 1.3% 3.7% 3.6% 3.6%
B 4.0% 6.1% 6.2% 6.7%
C 22.2% 22.3% 21.9% 24.0%
D 27.2% 30.3% 29.5% 29.7%
No Award 45.2% 37.5% 38.7% 36.0%

To examine this cohort in more detail, awarded grades are mapped to their estimated grade using the heatmap below, with each square highlighting the proportion of candidates with the corresponding awarded and estimated grades. The diagonal (outlined black boxes) highlights where result and estimate grades match. The colouring of the heatmap shows high proportions shown in blue and low proportions in white. This highlights a gradient where large deviations between estimated and resulted grades are unlikely.

In 2024, 2.5% of dual entered candidates were estimated an A grade and were awarded an A grade. Going along the diagonal, 2.5%, 8.1%, 9.8% and 19.7% of candidates were estimated and awarded grades B, C, D and No Award, respectively.

The off-diagonal is where the estimated and resulted grades differ. For example, in 2024, 2.0% of candidates were estimated a B grade and resulted an A grade; 3.6% of candidates were estimated a D grade and resulted a B grade.

While 34.3% of dual entry candidates were estimated an A to C grade, a total of 45.5% were awarded an A to C grade.

Heatmaps for 2023, 2022 and 2019 are also shown below.

Dual entry estimates graphs
Figure 3.1: Heatmap of estimated and awarded grades for dual entry candidates in 2024.

2.5% 2.0% 2.0% 0.8% 0.4% 0.8% 2.5% 6.0% 3.6% 1.7% 0.2% 1.5% 8.1% 8.5% 4.9% 0.1% 0.5% 5.5% 9.8% 9.4% [low] 0.2% 2.4% 7.1% 19.7% A B C D No Award No Award D C B A Estimated grade Awarded grade

 

Figure 3.2: Heatmap of estimated and awarded grades for dual entry candidates in 2023.

2.6% 1.8% 1.9% 0.9% 0.4% 0.7% 2.3% 5.7% 3.8% 2.0% 0.2% 1.4% 7.7% 9.4% 6.1% [low] 0.5% 4.7% 9.7% 11.1% [low] 0.1% 1.9% 5.7% 19.0% A B C D No Award No Award D C B A Estimated grade Awarded grade

 

Figure 3.3: Heatmap of estimated and awarded grades for dual entry candidates in 2022.

2.8% 1.9% 2.0% 0.8% 0.4% 0.7% 2.7% 6.4% 4.4% 2.0% 0.2% 1.2% 8.3% 9.6% 6.1% [low] 0.3% 4.1% 10.5% 11.7% [low] 0.1% 1.5% 5.0% 17.3% A B C D No Award No Award D C B A Estimated grade Awarded grade

 

Figure 3.4: Heatmap of estimated and awarded grades for dual entry candidates in 2019.

0.8% 0.6% 0.7% 0.2% 0.1% 0.3% 1.1% 2.4% 0.9% 0.4% 0.1% 0.7% 3.5% 2.6% 1.2% [low] 0.3% 2.7% 3.2% 2.3% 0.1% 1.3% 13.0% 20.3% 41.3% A B C D No Award No Award D C B A Estimated grade Awarded grade

 

 

Table 9: Detailed summary of National 5 dual entry estimated grades compared with resulted grades, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Resulted grade Estimated grade 2019* 2022 2023 2024
A A 0.8% 2.8% 2.6% 2.5%
A B 0.6% 1.9% 1.8% 2.0%
A C 0.7% 2.0% 1.9% 2.0%
A D 0.2% 0.8% 0.9% 0.8%
A No Award 0.1% 0.4% 0.4% 0.4%
B A 0.3% 0.7% 0.7% 0.8%
B B 1.1% 2.7% 2.3% 2.5%
B C 2.4% 6.4% 5.7% 6.0%
B D 0.9% 4.4% 3.8% 3.6%
B No Award 0.4% 2.0% 2.0% 1.7%
C A 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2%
C B 0.7% 1.2% 1.4% 1.5%
C C 3.5% 8.3% 7.7% 8.1%
C D 2.6% 9.6% 9.4% 8.5%
C No Award 1.2% 6.1% 6.1% 4.9%
D A [low] [low] [low] 0.1%
D B 0.3% 0.3% 0.5% 0.5%
D C 2.7% 4.1% 4.7% 5.5%
D D 3.2% 10.5% 9.7% 9.8%
D No Award 2.3% 11.7% 11.1% 9.4%
No Award A 0.1% [low] [low] [low]
No Award B 1.3% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2%
No Award C 13.0% 1.5% 1.9% 2.4%
No Award D 20.3% 5.0% 5.7% 7.1%
No Award No Award 41.3% 17.3% 19.0% 19.7%

 

Subject breakdown

In this section, dual entries and attainment are summarised by subject but for conciseness only the top 10 are shown in Figure 4. A table highlighting all dual entry proportions for each subject from 2019 to 2024 is included at the end of this publication.

In 2024, History had the highest proportion of dual entries (14.4%), followed by Geography (13.4%), Modern Studies (12.5%) and Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies (12.5%). Mathematics and English closely follow with the 5th and 6th highest proportions of dual entries (12.2% and 11.4%, respectively) but have the two highest volumes of dual entries in 2024 (4,495 and 5,710, respectively). These six subjects will be discussed in more detail below.

Figure 4: The top 10 National 5 qualifications with the highest proportion of dual entries in 2024.

14.4% 13.4% 12.5% 12.5% 12.2% 11.4% 11.3% 9.9% 9.5% 9.1% Chemistry Design and Manufacture German Business Management English Mathematics Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies Modern Studies Geography History 0% 5% 10% 15%

 

History

In 2024, National 5 History had a total dual entry proportion of 14.4%, this is the highest proportion for this course during the six-year reporting period. 14.0% and 5.5% of candidates were dual entered in 2023 and 2019, respectively. This corresponds to a volume of 2,335, 2,270, 810 in 2024, 2023 and 2019, respectively.

Table 10: Volume of entries by type for History, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry 810 580 675 1,585 2,270 2,335
Single entry 13,925 14,485 14,610 14,145 13,995 13,920

 

Figure 5: Percentage of National 5 entries by type for History, from 2019 to 2024.

Dual entry Single entry 5.5 94.5 3.8 96.2 4.4 95.6 10.1 89.9 14.0 86.0 14.4 85.6 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

 

Attainment by grade

In National 5 History, single entry candidates consistently achieve a higher proportion of A grades compared to their dual entered counterparts. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A attainment rate of 44.8%, which is an increase of 38.0 percentage points (pp) compared to those dual entered in the same year (6.8%). This attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period: 38.0 pp in 2023; 39.2 pp in 2022; 45.9 pp in 2021; 45.6 pp in 2020 and 36.9 pp in 2019.

A similar pattern is observed for the attainment of A to C grades, whereby single entry candidates have a higher attainment rate compared to dual entry candidates. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A to C attainment rate of 77.0%, which is an increase of 40.5 pp compared to those dual entered in the same year (36.5%). Again, this attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period and has been: 33.9 pp in 2023; 36.0 pp in 2022; 53.0 pp in 2021; 52.8 pp in 2020 and an increase of 63.6 pp in 2019.

Both A and A to C attainment rates for National 5 History dual entries are lower than the overall attainment rates for all subject dual entries by 0.7 pp and 8.1 pp, respectively.

Table 11: Summary of dual and single entry attainment rates for History, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type Grade(s) 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry A 3.0% 0.7% 10.3% 7.0% 9.7% 6.8%
Single entry A 39.9% 46.3% 56.2% 46.2% 47.7% 44.8%
Dual entry A to C 19.3% 39.6% 36.9% 49.5% 51.8% 36.5%
Single entry A to C 82.9% 92.4% 89.9% 85.5% 85.7% 77.0%

Analysis of the full grade breakdown of both dual and single entry candidates further highlights the performance of these sub-cohorts at a grade level. The two cohorts display alternate patterns; the single entry candidates are skewed towards an A grade, whereas for dual entry candidates’ attainment is skewed towards No Award, where more than 40% of dual entries were awarded.

Figure 6: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment for History in 2024.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Centre type

Across the years studied, dual entries primarily come from local authority centre types. A dual entry candidate’s assigned centre is allocated from their National 5 entry.

Table 12: Summary of dual entry by centre type for History from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Centre type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
FE college 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Independent 0.5% 0.0% 0.1% 0.3% 0.1% 0.3%
Local authority 99.4% 100.0% 99.9% 99.7% 99.9% 99.7%

Geography

In 2024, National 5 Geography had a total dual entry proportion of 13.4%. This is the highest proportion presented for this course during the six-year reporting period. 11.1% and 5.2% of candidates were dual entered in 2023 and 2019, respectively. This corresponds to a volume of 1,330, 1,150, 510 in 2024, 2023 and 2019, respectively.

Table 13: Volume of entries by type for Geography, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry 510 345 330 915 1,150 1,330
Single entry 9,285 9,350 9,745 9,355 9,185 8,565

 

Figure 7: Percentage of National 5 entries by type for Geography, from 2019 to 2024.

Dual entry Single entry 5.2 94.8 3.6 96.4 3.3 96.7 8.9 91.1 11.1 88.9 13.4 86.6 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

 

Attainment by grade

In National 5 Geography, single entry candidates consistently achieve a higher proportion of A grades compared to their dual entered counterparts. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A attainment rate of 42.9%, which is an increase of 38.0 percentage points (pp) compared to those dual entered in the same year (4.9%). This attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period: 35.0 pp in 2023; 42.1 pp in 2022; 46.9 pp in 2021; 40.3 pp in 2020 and 30.1 pp in 2019.

A similar pattern is observed for the attainment of A to C grades, whereby single entry candidates have a higher attainment rate compared to dual entry candidates. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A to C attainment rate of 82.1%, which is an increase of 37.6 pp compared to those dual entered in the same year (44.5%). Again, this attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period and has been: 41.7 pp in 2023; 36.3 pp in 2022; 50.5 pp in 2021; 47.5 pp in 2020 and an increase of 65.7 pp in 2019.

Both A and A to C attainment rates for National 5 Geography dual entries are lower than the overall attainment rates for all dual entries by 2.6 pp and 0.1 pp, respectively.

Table 14: Summary of dual and single entry attainment rates for Geography, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type Grade(s) 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry A 0.6% 4.0% 7.3% 5.3% 4.0% 4.9%
Single entry A 30.7% 44.3% 54.2% 47.4% 39.0% 42.9%
Dual entry A to C 9.8% 43.9% 39.8% 49.3% 38.8% 44.5%
Single entry A to C 75.5% 91.4% 90.3% 85.6% 80.5% 82.1%
Figure 8: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment for Geography in 2024.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Centre type

Across the years studied, dual entries primarily come from local authority centre types. A dual entry candidate’s assigned centre is allocated from their National 5 entry.

Table 15: Summary of dual entry by centre type for Geography from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Centre type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Independent 0.6% 0.0% 1.2% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2%
Local authority 99.4% 100.0% 98.8% 99.6% 99.7% 99.8%

Modern Studies

In 2024, National 5 Modern Studies had a total dual entry proportion of 12.5%, this is the highest proportion presented for this course during the six-year reporting period. 12.0% and 6.2% of candidates were dual entered in 2023 and 2019, respectively. This corresponds to a volume of 1,625, 1,650, 735 in 2024, 2023 and 2019, respectively.

Table 16: Volume of entries by type for Modern Studies, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry 735 565 480 1,175 1,650 1,625
Single entry 11,230 11,625 12,475 12,480 12,105 11,335

 

Figure 9: Percentage of National 5 entries by type for Modern Studies, from 2019 to 2024.

Dual entry Single entry 6.2 93.8 4.6 95.4 3.7 96.3 8.6 91.4 12.0 88.0 12.5 87.5 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

 

Attainment by grade

In National 5 Modern Studies, single entry candidates consistently achieve a higher proportion of A grades compared to their dual entered counterparts. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A attainment rate of 44.2%, which is an increase of 38.2 percentage points (pp) compared to those dual entered in the same year (6.0%). This attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period: 32.3 pp in 2023; 36.9 pp in 2022; 47.5 pp in 2021; 39.7 pp in 2020 and 29.9 pp in 2019.

A similar pattern is observed for the attainment of A to C grades, whereby single entry candidates have a higher attainment rate compared to dual entry candidates. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A to C attainment rate of 79.7%, which is an increase of 40.6 pp compared to those dual entered in the same year (39.1%). Again, this attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period and has been: 41.7 pp in 2023; 46.1 pp in 2022; 49.3 pp in 2021; 39.5 pp in 2020 and an increase of 62.8 pp in 2019.

Both A and A to C attainment rates for National 5 Modern Studies dual entries are lower than the overall attainment rates for all dual entries by 1.5 pp and 5.5 pp, respectively.

Table 17: Summary of dual and single entry attainment rates for Modern Studies, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type Grade(s) 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry A 2.0% 3.2% 9.2% 2.0% 4.8% 6.0%
Single entry A 31.9% 42.9% 56.7% 38.9% 37.1% 44.2%
Dual entry A to C 14.5% 51.4% 42.3% 34.8% 37.9% 39.1%
Single entry A to C 77.3% 90.9% 91.6% 80.9% 79.6% 79.7%
Figure 10: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment for Modern Studies in 2024.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Centre type

Across the years studied, dual entries primarily come from local authority centre types. A dual entry candidate’s assigned centre is allocated from their National 5 entry.

Table 18: Summary of dual entry by centre type for Modern Studies from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Centre type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
FE college 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Independent 0.3% 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% 0.0% 0.1%
Local authority 99.5% 100.0% 99.8% 99.8% 100.0% 99.9%

Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies

In 2024, National 5 Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies (RMPS) had a total dual entry proportion of 12.5%. This is a decrease from 13.3% in 2023 and an increase from 9.1% in 2019. This corresponds to a volume of 310, 320 and 220 in 2024, 2023 and 2019, respectively.

Table 19: Volume of entries by type for Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry 220 125 85 225 320 310
Single entry 2,200 2,200 2,330 2,125 2,075 2,180

 

Figure 11: Percentage of National 5 entries by type for RMPS, from 2019 to 2024.

Dual entry Single entry 9.1 90.9 5.5 94.5 3.6 96.4 9.7 90.3 13.3 86.7 12.5 87.5 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

 

Attainment by grade

In National 5 Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies, single entry candidates consistently achieve a higher proportion of A grades compared to their dual entered counterparts. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A attainment rate of 45.7%, which is an increase of 27.7 percentage points (pp) compared to those dual entered in the same year (18.0%). This attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period: 33.5 pp in 2023; 32.1 pp in 2022; 22.5 pp in 2021; 32.8 pp in 2020 and 29.5 pp in 2019.

A similar pattern is observed for the attainment of A to C grades, whereby single entry candidates have a higher attainment rate compared to dual entry candidates. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A to C attainment rate of 77.3%, which is an increase of 34.9 pp compared to those dual entered in the same year (42.4%). Again, this attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period and has been: 24.8 pp in 2023; 32.8 pp in 2022; 31.7 pp in 2021; 35.4 pp in 2020 and an increase of 52.9 pp in 2019.

For National 5 Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies the A attainment rate for dual entries is higher than the overall attainment rates for all dual entries by 10.5 pp, however the A to C attainment rate is lower by 2.2 pp.

Table 20: Summary of dual and single entry attainment rates for RMPS, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type Grade(s) 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry A 7.7% 11.0% 29.9% 13.7% 16.4% 18.0%
Single entry A 37.2% 43.8% 52.4% 45.8% 49.9% 45.7%
Dual entry A to C 20.5% 56.7% 56.3% 48.0% 55.3% 42.4%
Single entry A to C 73.4% 92.1% 88.0% 80.8% 80.1% 77.3%

 

Figure 12: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment for RMPS in 2024.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Centre type

Across the years studied, dual entries primarily come from local authority centre types. A dual entry candidate’s assigned centre is allocated from their National 5 entry.

Table 21: Summary of dual entry by centre type for Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Centre type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Local authority 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 99.6% 99.4% 100.0%
Independent 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.4% 0.6% 0.0%

Mathematics

In 2024, National 5 Mathematics had a total dual entry proportion of 12.2%, a decrease from 14.1% in 2023 and 15.9% in 2019. This corresponds to a volume of 4,495, 5,280, 6,615 in 2024, 2023 and 2019, respectively.

Table 22: Volume of entries by type for Mathematics, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry 6,615 2,535 2,265 4,345 5,280 4,495
Single entry 34,975 38,750 34,240 33,970 32,285 32,195

 

Figure 13: Percentage of National 5 entries by type for Mathematics, from 2019 to 2024.

Dual entry Single entry 15.9 84.1 6.1 93.9 6.2 93.8 11.3 88.7 14.1 85.9 12.2 87.8 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

 

Attainment by grade

In National 5 Mathematics, single entry candidates consistently achieve a higher proportion of A grades compared to their dual entered counterparts. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A attainment rate of 44.1%, which is an increase of 33.3 percentage points (pp) compared to those dual entered in the same year (10.8%). This attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period: 25.1 pp in 2023; 27.7 pp in 2022; 35.0 pp in 2021; 34.9 pp in 2020 and 35.8 pp in 2019.

A similar pattern is observed for the attainment of A to C grades, whereby single entry candidates have a higher attainment rate compared to dual entry candidates. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A to C attainment rate of 72.4%, which is an increase of 34.2 pp compared to those dual entered in the same year (38.2%). Again, this attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period and has been: 33.2 pp in 2023; 27.7 pp in 2022; 49.5 pp in 2021; 44.1 pp in 2020 and an increase of 70.6 pp in 2019.

For National 5 Mathematics the A attainment rate for dual entries is higher than the overall attainment rates for all dual entries by 3.3 pp but the A to C attainment rate is lower by 6.4 pp.

Table 23: Summary of dual and single entry attainment rates for Mathematics, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type Grade(s) 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry A 0.8% 4.0% 5.0% 12.7% 6.9% 10.8%
Single entry A 36.6% 38.9% 40.0% 40.4% 32.0% 44.1%
Dual entry A to C 6.2% 37.8% 26.6% 45.8% 34.0% 38.2%
Single entry A to C 76.8% 81.9% 76.1% 73.5% 67.2% 72.4%

 

Figure 14: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment for Mathematics in 2024.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Centre type

Across the years studied, dual entries primarily come from local authority centre types. A dual entry candidate’s assigned centre is allocated from their National 5 entry.

Table 24: Summary of dual entry by centre type for Mathematics from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Centre type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
FE college 1.4% [low] 0.0% [low] 0.1% 0.1%
Independent 0.5% 0.2% 0.8% 0.7% 0.7% 1.0%
Local authority 98.1% 99.8% 99.2% 99.3% 99.2% 98.9%
Other 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%

English

In 2024, National 5 English had a total dual entry proportion of 11.4%, this is a decrease from 11.9% in 2023 and increase from 3.8% in 2019. This corresponds to a volume of 5,710, 5,835, 1,750 in 2024, 2023 and 2019, respectively.

Table 25: Volume of entries by presentation type for English, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry 1,750 1,485 1,880 3,710 5,835 5,710
Single entry 43,845 45,180 44,995 44,025 43,165 44,215

 

Figure 15: Percentage of National 5 entries by type for English, from 2019 to 2024.

Dual entry Single entry 3.8 96.2 3.2 96.8 4.0 96.0 7.8 92.2 11.9 88.1 11.4 88.6 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

 

Attainment by grade

In National 5 English, single entry candidates consistently achieve a higher proportion of A grades compared to their dual entered counterparts. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A attainment rate of 41.2%, which is an increase of 34.0 percentage points (pp) compared to those dual entered in the same year (7.2%). This attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period: 35.8 pp in 2023; 36.4 pp in 2022; 34.8 pp in 2021; 37.9 pp in 2020 and 34.9 pp in 2019.

A similar pattern is observed for the attainment of A to C grades, whereby single entry candidates have a higher attainment rate compared to dual entry candidates. In 2024, single entry candidates achieved an A to C attainment rate of 87.9%, which is an increase of 31.1 pp compared to those dual entered in the same year (56.8%). Again, this attainment difference is consistent across the reporting period and has been: 26.1 pp in 2023; 25.6 pp in 2022; 26.2 pp in 2021; 36.9 pp in 2020 and an increase of 58.0 pp in 2019.

For National 5 English the A attainment rate for dual entries is lower than the overall attainment rates for all dual entries by 0.3 pp but the A to C attainment rate is higher by 12.2 pp.

Table 26: Summary of dual and single entry attainment rates for English, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Entry type Grade(s) 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dual entry A 1.8% 2.8% 14.2% 8.7% 8.7% 7.2%
Single entry A 36.7% 40.7% 49.0% 45.1% 44.5% 41.2%
Dual entry A to C 30.6% 55.6% 65.8% 64.7% 63.4% 56.8%
Single entry A to C 88.6% 92.5% 92.0% 90.3% 89.5% 87.9%
Figure 16: Summary of dual and single entry by grade attainment for English in 2024.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% A B C D No Award Grade Dual entry Single entry

 

Centre type

Across the years studied, dual entries primarily come from local authority centre types. A dual entry candidate’s assigned centre is allocated from their National 5 entry.

Table 27: Summary of dual entry by centre type for English from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Centre type 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
FE college 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% [low] [low]
Independent 0.5% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.1% 0.3%
Local authority 99.3% 99.9% 99.9% 99.8% 99.8% 99.7%
Other 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%

All subjects

Table 28: Proportion of dual entries for each subject, from 2019 to 2024. *RPA in 2019.
Qualification 2019* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Accounting [z] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
Administration and IT 5.9% 3.7% 1.5% 6.1% 8.6% 8.9%
Applications of Mathematics 7.5% 1.6% 3.7% 4.4% 6.1% 6.2%
Art and Design 1.6% 2.4% 1.9% 4.8% 7.0% 8.2%
Biology 7.5% 3.8% 4.1% 7.9% 10.6% 9.0%
Business Management 3.9% 4.7% 4.5% 7.2% 12.8% 11.3%
Care 1.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Chemistry 4.5% 3.4% 3.2% 6.5% 10.0% 9.1%
Chinese Languages 0.5% 5.0% 3.7% 1.2% 4.6% 2.2%
Classical Studies 2.8% 0.8% 0.0% 11.6% 3.7% 9.0%
Computing Science 5.5% 4.3% 4.1% 9.5% 11.9% 9.0%
Dance [z] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
Design and Manufacture 3.6% 2.6% 2.8% 7.8% 10.2% 9.5%
Drama 0.7% 1.6% 1.7% 3.8% 4.0% 5.0%
Economics [z] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
Engineering Science 2.7% 1.7% 2.8% 4.2% 8.5% 3.4%
English 3.8% 3.2% 4.0% 7.8% 11.9% 11.4%
English for Speakers of Other Languages 3.4% 2.6% 1.4% 1.5% 3.6% 7.7%
Environmental Science 8.2% 10.1% 2.7% 10.6% 13.6% 7.3%
Fashion and Textile Technology 2.6% 2.7% 2.8% 6.1% 5.4% 3.6%
French 4.1% 2.6% 2.7% 6.9% 11.2% 8.8%
Gaelic (Learners) 0.7% 0.8% 1.9% 2.2% 0.9% 1.6%
Gàidhlig 0.0% 1.6% 1.6% 3.4% 6.1% 4.0%
Geography 5.2% 3.6% 3.3% 8.9% 11.1% 13.4%
German 1.8% 2.3% 2.7% 7.2% 7.6% 9.9%
Graphic Communication 3.5% 1.2% 2.8% 6.2% 8.4% 7.3%
Health and Food Technology 1.5% 3.7% 1.9% 5.5% 6.3% 7.4%
History 5.5% 3.8% 4.4% 10.1% 14.0% 14.4%
Italian 2.3% 12.5% 1.8% 8.5% 3.8% 8.7%
Latin 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 1.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Mathematics 15.9% 6.1% 6.2% 11.3% 14.1% 12.2%
Media 5.5% 4.0% 4.2% 7.2% 9.5% 8.0%
Modern Studies 6.2% 4.6% 3.7% 8.6% 12.0% 12.5%
Music 0.9% 1.6% 0.5% 2.5% 4.1% 6.6%
Music Technology 1.4% 3.3% 1.3% 3.1% 6.5% 8.2%
Philosophy [z] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
Physical Education 1.9% 1.3% 0.7% 2.1% 3.5% 3.7%
Physics 6.2% 4.2% 3.9% 7.3% 10.4% 8.9%
Practical Cake Craft [z] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
Practical Cookery 4.4% 2.2% 2.6% 3.5% 7.5% 7.9%
Practical Electronics 1.0% 0.2% 0.6% 1.2% 2.3% 0.8%
Practical Metalworking 0.6% 0.9% 1.0% 0.7% 3.7% 2.4%
Practical Woodworking 1.8% 0.9% 1.0% 1.5% 2.7% 1.9%
Psychology [z] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies 9.1% 5.5% 3.6% 9.7% 13.3% 12.5%
Sociology [z] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
Spanish 3.4% 2.5% 4.2% 6.5% 9.9% 8.9%
Urdu 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.8% 0.0% 0.0%

 

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Date of publication: 27 May 2025

Contact name: Chris Boulter

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