On Tuesday 8 August, thousands of young people across Scotland will receive the results for their Nationals, Highers, Advanced Highers, National Progression Awards, Skills for Work Awards, National Certificates and Awards.
These results will allow you to take the next step on your learning journey – whether that’s continuing at school, moving on to college or university, entering employment or a workplace-based training programme – or something entirely different.
Getting your results
When is Results Day and how will I receive my results?
Results Day is Tuesday 8 August 2023. You will receive a copy of your Scottish Qualifications Certificate delivered by first-class post to your home address. If you have signed up and activated your MySQA account, you will also receive your results via text and/or email from 8am onwards that morning.
I haven’t received my results certificate in the post — how can I get it?
If your post has been delivered and you haven’t received your certificate, contact your school, college or training provider immediately. They will be able to tell you your results and will work with us to find out what has happened to your certificate.
If you registered for and activated a MySQA account, you will receive your results by text and/or email from 8am onwards.
My MySQA text and/or email hasn’t arrived – what should I do?
Please remember that text messages and emails are sent from 8am onwards. Delivery times can vary depending on your service provider, so you might not receive them until later in the day. Remember to check your spam or junk folders in case your email goes there.
Everyone will receive their results certificate by post on Tuesday 8 August. If your post has been delivered and you don’t receive your certificate, please contact your school, college or training provider who will be able to help you.
About your results
Who should I contact if I have questions about my results?
If you have any questions about your results, or if there are results missing from your certificate that you are expecting to see, you should contact your school, college or training provider in the first instance. If you have questions about your certificate, our Candidate Advice Line can help – you can find more information below.
What should I do if I have concerns with a grade(s)?
Our Appeals 2023 booklet tells you what you need to know about the free appeals service for National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher qualifications in 2023.
If you’re concerned about a grade when you receive your results, you may want to consider using our free Appeals Service, which opens on Results Day – Tuesday 8 August at 9am.
How it works: if you appeal your grade, a senior marker will carry out a marking review of your SQA-marked assessment. This is different to last year’s appeals service – it is not a remark and you do not need to provide any further evidence.
While the final decision to submit an appeal is yours, we would encourage you to discuss your decision with staff at your school, college or training provider first.
You can access the appeals service directly on our website or through your school, college or training provider.
Important dates for Appeals:
- Tuesday 8 August: The appeals service opens at 9am.
- Tuesday 15 August: The last date you, or your parent or carer, can submit a priority appeal.
- Monday 21 August: The last date your school, college or training provider can submit a priority appeal on your behalf.
- Tuesday 29 August: The last date you, or your parent or carer, can submit an appeal.
- Friday 1 September: The last date your school, college or training provider can submit an appeal for you.
- Monday 4 September: The date we send decisions on priority appeals to schools, colleges and service providers.
- October 2023: The date we issues the decisions of all other appeals. We may need to issue our decisions later than this, depending on how many appeals we receive.
Your Scottish Qualifications certificate
Who do I contact if I have questions about my certificate?
You can find out what the information on your certificate means, and what else is inside your envelope, on our website.
Alternatively, you can contact SQA’s Candidate Advice Line on 0345 279 1000. The helpline will be open from 8am – 6pm on Tuesday 8 August, then from 8:30am – 5pm on Wednesday 9 August to Friday 11 August.
Who do I contact if there is an error on my certificate?
If there is an error on your certificate, such as your name has been spelled incorrectly, your school, college or training provider can request a new one for you.
If you’re missing results, or there are results listed that you weren’t expecting to see, contact your school, college or training provider. SQA will only send you an updated certificate once your school, college or training provider sends us the necessary information.
Why is there no grade on my certificate for my course?
Courses at National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher are graded A-D. All other courses and awards are graded as pass or fail.
Ask your school, college or training provider which level you were entered for. If you’re missing a Skills for Work course, remember these courses are not graded — the units that make up the course are assessed as pass or fail.
If your certificate is missing a grade for a National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher course, you have not achieved a grade A-D.
If you’re missing results, or there are results listed that you weren’t expecting to see, speak to your teachers or lecturers when you return to school, college or training.
What is the SCQF Profile?
Along with your SQA certificate, you get a sheet which includes your SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework) Profile.
Knowing a bit about the SCQF will help you to make sense of your qualifications certificate, and can help you plan your next steps, particularly if you didn’t receive the results you hoped for and need to change your plans. More information can be found on the SCQF website.
Taking your next steps
Where can I find advice about a college/university place?
If you did better than you expected, or you didn’t get the results you were hoping for, the Universities & Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) will be happy to speak to you and give you some guidance on what to do next. You can contact them on weekdays by calling 0371 468 0468 between 8:30am to 6pm. You can also visit the UCAS website for more information.
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Advisors can provide you with information on course vacancies at UK colleges and universities as well as on confirmation and clearing. The SDS Results Helpline is available from 8am to 8pm on Tuesday 8 August and Wednesday 9 August. It will be open 9am to 5pm on Thursday 10 August and Friday 11 August. The number is 0808 100 8000.
Where can I find careers advice, including information about Apprenticeships?
SDS advisers can tell you about Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships, jobs, volunteering or staying on at school.
Call the helpline on 0808 100 8000.
Summary of Results Day support
Questions about your results:
Contact your school, college or training provider in the first instance. If you have problems receiving your results on Tuesday 8 August, your school, college or training provider will be able to tell you your results.
Questions about your certificate:
Contact SQA’s Candidate Advice Line on 0345 279 1000. The helpline will be open from 8am – 6pm on Tuesday 8 August, then from 8:30am – 5pm on Wednesday 9 August to Friday 11 August.
Questions about college/university applications:
Contact UCAS on 0371 468 0468 between 8:30am to 6pm on weekdays.
Questions about further education opportunities and careers:
Contact Skills Development Scotland on 0808 100 8000. The helpline runs from 8am to 8pm on Tuesday 8 August and Wednesday 9 August, and from 9am to 5pm on Thursday 10 August and Friday 11 August.
Support for your mental health and wellbeing
Our support and resources web page contains information to assist you as you plan your next steps, including links to organisations which are on hand to support your mental health and wellbeing. Our recent blog from Young Scot also has some great tips on what support is available to you.
