Girls are performing better than boys in computing science at both Nat 5 and Higher levels – but the gender gap in access to the subject persists, according to the latest exam stats released this week.
New data from the Scottish Qualifications Authority showed that 88.3 per cent of female entrants for computing science at Nat 5 this year achieved an A-C grade, a rise of 6.5 per cent on the previous year.
Compared to male entrants, of whom 80.2 per cent achieved an A-C grade, a rise of 2.2 per cent, the data indicates that girls are improving at a faster rate than boys in the subject.
The stats also show that 59.8 per cent of female entrants achieved the top A grade in their exams, a rise of 8.5 per cent on the previous year, compared to 47 per cent of male entrants achieving the top mark, a rise of 3.8 per cent.
However, there was little change in the stark imbalance in the number of male and female entries for the subject at Nat 5 level, and similarly at Higher. According to the data, the subject continues to be dominated by boys – with 78.05 per cent of all entrants this year male (5,140), compared to 21.95 per cent girls (1,445). Overall, numbers of boys and girls taking the subject fell by 2.73 per cent, but the ratios between boys and girls were similar.
At Higher level, the picture was slightly more encouraging in terms of overall numbers, with boys and girls taking the subject up from 3,745 to 3,960 – a rise of 5.74 per cent.
Again, the data showed that girls are doing better at Higher level computing science than boys, albeit with a persistent gender gap in access to the subject. The SQA data showed that 81.2 per cent of female entrants at Higher level achieved an A-C grade, with 48.4 per cent gaining the top A grade. That compared to 73.9 per cent of male entrants achieving an A-C grade and 40.5 per cent on the top A grade.
The attainment gap is also widening between girls and boys. Compared to 2024, the data showed a 5.1 per cent rise in the top A-C grade for female entrants against a 2.1 per increase for male entrants. Similarly, there was a faster rate of improvement at the top level with 6.5 per cent more female entrants achieving an A grade compared to 3 per cent more boys.
Encouragingly, the number of entrants at Higher level also showed an upward trend. There were 3,960 entrants of both sexes this year, compared to 3,745 last year, a 5.74 per cent rise. Overall attainment figures for both sexes showed that 75.5 per cent of grades were A-C in 2025 compared to 72.7 per cent in 2024. At Nat 5 level, 82 per cent of all applicants achieved A-C grades in 2025 compared to 78.8 per cent in 2024, a rise of 3.2 per cent.
About 147,000 boys and girls across Scotland started to receive their exam results this week. In all subjects the data showed Nat 5 A-C attainment at 78.4 per cent (up from 77.2 per cent last year) and Higher A-C attainment at 75.9 per cent (up from 74.9 per cent in 2024).
The number of pupils achieving an A, B or C grade at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher was up across the board when compared with last year, however it is still below levels from 2023.
The poverty-related attainment gap has also narrowed at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher level over the 2024-25 academic year, according to the results data published by the SQA.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Congratulations to all of Scotland’s school pupils, students and adult learners for all that they have achieved in their qualifications this year. These results are evidence of a strong recovery in Scotland’s schools, following the pandemic, with more passes at every level compared to last year. They are a testament to the hard work of learners, teachers and parents and carers.”
However, the Scottish Conservatives said that the gap between the most and least deprived pupils achieving A grades at Advanced Higher has widened by almost three per cent since prior to the pandemic, while there has been no progress on reducing the gap in relation to Higher exam results.