The traditional wait for the rattle of the letter box followed by a trembling opening of the large envelope has been replaced for Scotland's school pupils by choosing their moment to access their results online - at 4am yesterday if they could not sleep for worry. More than 34,000 of the 155,893 candidates who sat SQA exams this year signed up for the online service. This development is a sensible step forward for the internet generation and the technology, which includes the option of text messages, will be backed up by paper certificates in today's post.

The traditional wait for the rattle of the letter box followed by a trembling opening of the large envelope has been replaced for Scotland's school pupils by choosing their moment to access their results online - at 4am yesterday if they could not sleep for worry. More than 34,000 of the 155,893 candidates who sat SQA exams this year signed up for the online service. This development is a sensible step forward for the internet generation and the technology, which includes the option of text messages, will be backed up by paper certificates in today's post.

It is good that there has been a slight improvement in the pass rate this year: well within the expected fluctuation from year to year. That can only be reason for congratulation. In recent years, the annual exam results, when accompanied by improved pass rates, have been received against a background murmuring that standards are slipping. That was halted last year by a slight drop in the overall Higher pass rate and should not mar today's success.

Along with an increase of 5000 in the number of candidates, it suggests that the Higher Still system introduced in 1999 to offer five different levels of award is succeeding in giving more pupils an incentive to stay on at school and gain qualifications beyond Standard Grade. The increase in the number sitting Access and Intermediate levels is welcome, particularly if it means they subsequently go on to take Highers at a time appropriate to their abilities.

The reason for the slight drop in the number of Advanced Higher candidates is not clear. Since Highers are the benchmark for university entrance, some hard-pressed schools may not offer Advanced Highers in a range of subjects, but these courses are an important part of the exam portfolio which allows students to take their first steps towards independent study in preparation for university - and allows teachers greater scope to pass on their knowledge.

In the context of the current spat over the universities' admissions policies, this has an added significance. A suggestion that some universities have a policy of favouring pupils from state schools in deprived areas over privately-educated pupils is denied by Universities Scotland, the principals' umbrella group, while acknowledging that they do take applicants' backgrounds into consideration. The argument has been made that exam results can reflect intensive coaching as well as natural ability. A qualification which requires a greater demonstration of independent thought can itself help to provide a level playing field.