RESULT: Record-breaker Ethan Chan with Provost Claire Leitch and Councillor Claire Cowan (Image: East Ayrshire Council)
A former pupil from an East Ayrshire secondary school has set a new Scottish record for most Advanced Highers achieved in one sitting.
Ethan Chan, who attended Grange Academy in Kilmarnock, achieved an “amazing” seven As and two Bs in nine subjects at the level during this year’s exam diet.
Chan, who will study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, becomes the second former Grange pupil to set the record, following Hannah Martin’s achievement of eight Advanced Highers in 2023.
Speaking to East Ayrshire Council, Chan said he wanted to “challenge himself” in this journey of achieving high grades in the various subjects.
He said: “I wanted to see what I could achieve. I took a lot of inspiration from Hannah Martin, who also went to Grange Academy holding the current record.
“The biggest challenge was time management as I had to ensure enough attention to each subject as well as balancing schoolwork. Due to some timetable constraints, some of my subjects were self-taught.
“When I received my results, I was relieved that all my hard work had paid off and absolutely thrilled with the results.”
Chan went on to thank his friends, family and teachers who showed “continuous love and support” throughout his time working towards his final exams.
In congratulating him on his academic success, Cllr Elaine Cowan, Spokesperson for Education, and Children and Young People, said: “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Ethan, and I can confirm he is an exceptional young man. I think the most common response to his most recent achievement has been ‘wow’ followed by ‘how is that even possible’.
“It is possible due to his drive and determination to succeed, the encouragement of his teachers – I know that the whole school is incredibly proud, and his family, I can’t wait to see what the future brings for Ethan.”
Figures published by the Scottish Qualifications Authority showed there were 29,700 Advanced Higher entries across Scotland this year – up 3.8% from 28,160 in 2025.
The previous record holder, Martin, had split her achievements over two years, gaining Music, Drama, English, and Maths in S5, and As in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in S6, alongside a B in Mechanics of Mathematics.
