Helpline poised to support young Scots getting SQA results
A dedicated helpline will open tomorrow (Tuesday, 5 August 2025) to support around 147,000 Scottish pupils and students set to receive their full Higher, National and Advanced results.
The young people, as well as parents and carers, will be able to get support with their results through Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) Results Helpline, which opens from 8am on results day.
The SDS Results Helpline will be staffed by expert careers advisers to assist anybody that needs help with their options and next steps, providing impartial career information, advice, and guidance.
The number for the 2025 SDS Results Helpline is 0808 100 8000 and will be open:
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Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 August - 8am to 8pm
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Thursday 7 and Friday 8 August - 9am to 5pm
The team of qualified advisers from Scotland’s national skills agency will be at the end of the phone line to offer guidance on colleges and universities, UCAS Confirmation and Clearing, apprenticeships, jobs and other training, volunteering, or staying on at school.
Kilmarnock Academy pupil Courtney McLaughlin called the Helpline after receiving SQA results from her fourth-year exams.
Courtney, now 17, didn’t get the National 5 grades she had hoped for in English and History and thought it was a major setback in her career plans.
The Cumnock Ladies football club team player, from New Farm Loch, explained: “I was so upset when I opened my results that I started crying and called the Results Helpline for help.
“The adviser calmed me down and made me feel much better through our conversation. I was able to see that it was not the end of the world and that I still had options. They advised me to speak to my teacher, who reassured me that I could re-take those subjects in fifth year, if I wanted.”
After calling the helpline, Courtney continued to get support from her school careers adviser.
There’s an SDS careers adviser linked to every secondary school in Scotland, with almost a quarter of a million school pupils from P7 to S6 receiving careers information, advice and guidance each year*.
Ready to tackle fifth year, Courtney got help from her school adviser, Melissa Masterton, to look into careers she was interested in and the subjects, further learning options and qualifications needed to pursue them.
As well as her love of football, Courtney is interested in a career linked to caring for people, drawing from her own experience of being in care when she was younger.
Courtney said: “I would love to be a P.E. teacher, but I also talked to Melissa about other interests I have, like childcare and policing. Together, we’ve been working through what I would need to do to have all those options open to me.”
Courtney retook her National 5 in English and also chose Higher P.E., a sports development course and a Childcare course through college. She also gained work experience with the Police, after approaching the school-based officer.
Staying on for sixth year at school, Courtney has plans to apply to college after school, to do an HNC course in Childcare or Health and Fitness, with Melissa available to support her along the way.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Results Day is an important opportunity to celebrate achievement and success which is clear through a wider range of pathways for learners than ever before.
“There are many options available for young people, no matter the results they achieve, and the Helpline offers invaluable advice on a whole host of issues – from college and university places, to UCAS Confirmation and Clearing, apprenticeships, jobs and volunteering.
“I appreciate the immense hard work and dedication which Scotland’s young people have applied throughout the year and I also know how well supported they have been by our teachers, by lecturers, and by parents and carers.”
The SDS Results Helpline has been going for 33 years and has helped tens of thousands of young Scots.
Dave McCallum, Head of Career Information, Advice and Guidance Operations at SDS said: “Our message for young people and their parents and carers as their results arrive is not to panic. Everything might seem overwhelming right now but remember that this is just one step on their journey.
“Our experienced advisers are here to provide expert support and guidance, offering information on a wide range of options and opportunities. They are also trained to help young people recognise that they are more than their exam results, giving them the confidence to see their strengths and abilities beyond qualifications.”
In addition to the dedicated SDS Results Helpline, young people and their parents or carers can also speak to an SDS adviser at a SDS centre or community venue (find out what’s close to you by visiting the Contact Us page on the SDS website), visit Scotland’s career information and advice website, My World of Work, or speak to directly to an SDS school-based careers adviser for year-round support.
Read more on Courtney’s story in the case studies area of the SDS website.
*Based on latest annual data of SDS CIAG engagements with Primary 7 to Secondary 6 school pupils in Scotland during academic year June 2024– May 2024