We’ve gotten used to exam results day being a fraught and scandal-hit affair.

Over the last decade or so, students have endured a series of crises, from concerns about individual papers to the full-blown catastrophe of the 2020 algorithm. It had reached the stage where many simply expected the worst every August.

All that chaos and confusion is good for journalists, of course, and offers a window of opportunity for some opposition politicians, but it is bad for pretty much everyone else.

For the most part, what people really want is a boring results day, and this year that is exactly what they got.

Pass rates are all up a little, but not so much as to suggest that something has gone wrong.

Attainment gaps have come down slightly, but not so sharply that anyone is going to claim that it is all some sort of stitch up.

Although the figures are better than last year, they have not quite returned to 2016 levels, meaning that there is room for further improvement.

Grade boundaries – which determine the marks required to get each grade in each different subject – look broadly stable........

© Herald Scotland