I would like information about appeals which resulted in a candidate?s grade being increased, with particular interest in cases where the grade increased by more than one grade.

For each year for which data is available, preferably from 2021 onwards, I would like the following information.

1. Appeals resulting in grade increases Please provide the number of successful appeals resulting in: ? an increase of 1 grade; ? an increase of 2 grades; ? an increase of 3 grades; ? an increase of 4 grades; and ? an increase of 5 or more grades, if applicable. Please provide these figures broken down by: ? examination year; ? qualification level (National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher); and ? subject.

2. Original and final grades For appeals resulting in an increase of more than one grade, please provide, where held:

|Year|Qualification|Subject|Original Grade|Final Grade|Number of Appeals| |----|-------------|-------|--------------|-----------|-----------------|

For example, if there were 12 appeals in Higher Mathematics where a candidate?s grade increased from D to B, I would like this recorded as:

|Year|Qualification|Subject |Original Grade|Final Grade|Number of Appeals| |----|-------------|-----------|--------------|-----------|-----------------| |2025|Higher |Mathematics|D |B |12 |

I am requesting aggregate statistical information only and am not requesting information that would identify individual candidates.

3. Total appeals and success rates For the same years, please provide, broken down by qualification level and subject where available: ? total number of appeals submitted; ? total number of successful appeals; ? number of successful appeals resulting in a one-grade increase; ? number of successful appeals resulting in an increase of more than one grade; and ? percentage of successful appeals resulting in an increase of more than one grade.

4. Suppressed figures I understand that some published statistics may be suppressed where the number of cases is fewer than five. Where this applies, please provide the underlying figure if it can be disclosed under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. If individual figures cannot be disclosed because of the risk of identifying candidates, please provide the information in an appropriately aggregated form. For example, this could be aggregated by year, qualification level or subject.

5. Existing data If Qualifications Scotland already holds this information in a database, spreadsheet, statistical table or other electronic format, I would be grateful if you could provide the information in that existing format.

I am not asking Qualifications Scotland to undertake a new statistical analysis if the information is not already held in the requested form. Where a particular breakdown is not held, please state this clearly and provide the closest equivalent information that is held.

Finally, please confirm whether the published appeals statistics distinguish between: ? a one-grade increase; ? an increase of two or more grades; and ? cases where an appeal resulted in a grade change other than an increase.

The information relating to questions 1, 2 and 3 is contained within the attached spreadsheet. 

With regard to question 4 there is no suppression of numbers.

For question 5, we have provided the information as it is held.

Information Sheet (74 KB)