IT is the day when all of the hard work sweating over the books pays off and pupils can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Thousands of youngsters have received their exam results, with the postman either bringing the keys to their dreams or a dose of bad news.
But it was double delight in one Glasgow household, where identical twins Carmen and Lauren Wright both got the passes they were looking for.
The 16-year-olds, fifth-year pupils at Bannerman High School, both plan to go on to university once they are done with school.
Lauren, who got five As in Higher English, Maths, Drama, Admin and Accounts, plans to study accountancy and finance at Edinburgh University. She said she was overcome with emotion when her results arrived.
Lauren said: “Oh my gosh, I was laughing and crying when I opened my results. I’m so delighted. So delighted for both of us as we have worked really hard and this has paid off.”
Both said they loved being in same year group together, as it helps to motivate them and let them discuss subjects they shared. Carmen, who got five Highers with two As in Geography and Maths, two Bs in English and Drama and a C in Biology, plans to turn her attention to languages in sixth year, as well as focusing on her favourite subjects at a higher level.
She said: “I was so pleased when I found out my marks. I was a wee bit disappointed with my Bs, but delighted that I got As in my two favourite subjects and it means I will be able to take Advanced Higher Geography.”
The twins were not the only siblings celebrating their results yesterday, with one school boasting three sets achieving straight As in their Highers.
Emma and Vivien McAinsh, 17, Joseph and Michael Lowrie, 17, and Niamh and Roisin Kelly, 16, all attend St Ninian’s in East Renfrewshire, and together notched up 30 top grades, with sibling rivalry having played a part in the success of some of them.
Roisin said: “I would not have worked as hard if she [Niamh] hadn’t forced me to, so it actually came in handy.”
Niamh added: “I’d study, and she’d not.”
All the pupils want to carry on with their education, with the McAinsh twins hoping for a future in dentistry.
Like thousands of other students across the country, the pupils received their results by text.
But it left one of the Kelly sisters on tenterhooks when her sibling’s message came through, and hers did not.
Roisin said: “I was really nervous because she’d [Niamh] done so well and if I’d got it after and it was awful then that would’ve been bad.
“I didn’t get my message until much later in the day, so it made it much more nerve-racking and my sister was reassuring me I would have got the same as her.
“When I eventually got the results, I was just so relieved.”
Emma McAnish added: “We both got the text at the same time, but I was too scared to open mine. Vivien opened hers first and then ran through to my room, and once I had looked at my results we started celebrating. We were jumping up and down and our sisters and parents came to join us.”
Emma and Vivien both did Maths, English, Biology, Chemistry and Geography.
Meanwhile, Joseph and Michael Lowrie studied Chemistry, Physics, Biology, English and Maths.
Joseph said: “I was hoping for five As to get into medicine, but whatever I had got I would have been happy with because I had worked as hard as I could for the exams.”
Another St Ninian’s family were also celebrating exceptional results, with fourth-year Zaynab Sarguroh and fifth-year Asma Sarguroh achieving 15 As between them.
Zaynab got nine As at National 5 and will now go on to complete six Highers next year, while also taking on a Foundation Apprenticeship in Engineering. Asma got six As at Higher and plans to pursue a career in neuroscience.
Asma, 17, said: “I knew my sister would do really well so I wanted to do really well too. The teachers played a big part in helping us to get these results because they provide so much support throughout the year.”
Zaynab, 15, added: “I was extremely happy when I found out we had both got all As, so it’s fantastic.”
Getting five straight As at Higher is no mean feat, but to do it while balancing it with the demands of representing Scotland at sport makes it all the more remarkable.
Williamwood High pupil Fraser McCann, 16, was especially pleased to have secured an A in Higher English, as he sat this exam while in Prague representing the Scotland Under-17 squash team at the European Championships.
He said: “My mum was a bit apprehensive about me sitting an exam abroad, but I was confident and would never want to miss out on playing for my country.”
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