Information for parents, carers and learners

Following the release of National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher results, Qualifications Scotland provides a free appeals service for learners who believe a mistake may have been made in the marking of their externally assessed work.

Who can appeal?

A learner may wish to consider an appeal if they believe their result does not accurately reflect their performance in an examination or externally marked assessment. 

Appeals can be submitted:

• Directly by the learner through Qualifications Scotland's Appeals Service.

• Through the learner's school, college or training provider.

what happens during an appeal?

We understand that some parents, carers and learners may feel disappointed or surprised by a result and may wonder whether additional coursework, class assessments or teacher evidence can be considered as part of an appeal.

It is important to understand that a Qualifications Scotland appeal is a review of the marking of the assessment that was originally submitted, rather than a reconsideration of all the work completed throughout the year.

During an appeal, a senior marker reviews the learner's externally assessed work to check that:

• all questions and sections have been marked;

• marks have been awarded in line with national marking instructions and standards;

• marks have been totalled correctly; and

• the correct result has been recorded.

It is worth noting that Nationally, around 94% of appeals in 2025 resulted in no change to the final grade. For this reason, learners should view an appeal as a check of the original marking rather than an opportunity to have additional evidence considered or to seek a higher grade simply because they are close to a grade boundary

An appeal does not allow additional coursework, prelim results, class assessments, teacher estimates, pupil effort, attendance, or other evidence produced after the assessment to be taken into account. The review is based only on the work that was originally assessed by Qualifications Scotland.

For this reason, an appeal should only be considered where a learner believes there may have been an issue with the marking of their assessment. Following the review, the result may stay the same, increase, or decrease.

We encourage learners and families to carefully consider the available information, including component marks and grade boundaries where appropriate, before deciding whether to submit an appeal