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The arrival of Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) exam results - which come around again on Tuesday - can be an anxious time for students, their families and teachers. Students inevitably feel pressure to achieve success, while families and teachers are also rooting for them to have achieved results that match their effort and aspirations.

Yet, while exams are important, they are not the be-all and end-all of personal growth and academic achievement. A good set of results can be one key to future opportunity, but there are many routes to this besides first-time exam success.

This year again, some pupils will have performed beyond expectation; others may be disappointed with their results certificate. It is important that all results are viewed in context, and that appropriate support is offered to each young person to make sound decisions about what to do next with the range of achievements that they have built so far.

For pupils

• Your results are primarily a reflection of how you performed on the particular day of your exam. If you achieved the results you hoped for, congratulations and well done for all your hard work. If you didn’t get the results you wanted, it’s natural to feel disappointed. But it’s not the end of the world - you’ll have many further opportunities, both in school and beyond, to achieve success.

For families

• Receiving exam results can be an emotional time for young people. They can feel elated by good results, or severely disappointed by results that don’t meet their expectation. Young people will rely on family support no matter what their results certificates say, as they consider their next important steps.

For teachers

• Following exam results, students look for advice from the teachers who have supported them through their courses and the exam process. No matter the outcome of SQA exams, teachers are there to help young people consider their options for further study in school or other opportunities for progression outwith school.

For commentators

• Crucially, young people and teachers should be supported and their successes celebrated come results day and beyond. A small dip in exam pass rates in a subject would not mean that the calibre of students or of Scottish education has declined. Neither would an increase in pass rates mean that exams are being “dumbed down”. Exam results will vary from year to year for a wide range of reasons, not least that the students sitting them each year are different. What does remain consistent is Scotland’s high-quality education system and the strong opportunities that it offers to young people across the country to learn, to enjoy doing so, and to gather a range of valuable achievements, including SQA qualifications.

Andrea Bradley is assistant secretary at Scotland’s biggest teaching union, the EIS, with responsibility for education and equality