BASIC mathematics skills amongst Scottish pupils were lower than expected in this summer’s exams, senior officials have warned.

A report by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) found pupils struggled with maths qualifications at a number of different levels.

The report into the National 5 Lifeskills Mathematics exam said: “It was noted that the numeracy skills of many candidates appeared to be lower than would be expected for a National 5 course.

“This impacted on the range of marks gained by candidates. As this is a new course, teachers still appear to be coming to terms with the levels of numeracy, interpretation, reasoning and communication required.

“Some candidates performed well in this component, but many did not produce the required level of numeracy skills to succeed.This was particularly evident in questions involving ratio, proportion.... percentages.”

A separate report into a controversial new maths Higher, which saw thousands of pupils sign a protest petition, also raised concerns about standards.

The examiner’s report stated: “Candidates made considerable effort in generating solutions, but many responses required greater clarity in presentation, layout and communication.

“Candidates had clearly learned processes, but some fell short when it came to the use of equation-solving and working with fractions.

"Candidates identified the strategies required,but their numeracy skills prevented progress to a final solution being made.”

The report into the Advanced Higher maths exam noted that some candidates were disadvantaged “by not having covered all areas of the course”.

Dr Gill Stewart, director of qualifications for the SQA, said: “As we do every year, we consider what went well and where we need to make improvements for the future.

“Our external assessment and course reports, which are provided for all subjects at all levels, also highlight ways in which recent exams and coursework may have differed from those of previous years. This is to ensure standards remain high.

“We are committed to the continuous development and improvement of our qualifications and assessments for the benefit of all candidates.”

In August, the SQA’s chief executive Dr Janet Brown admitted the new Higher maths exam was “too hard” after the body dropped the pass mark to 34 per cent. Just 60 per cent was needed for an A Grade.

Last year, Scottish primary schools experienced a dramatic decline in standards of numeracy, sparking warnings over the effectiveness of the country’s new curriculum.

Official figures showed the percentage of pupils in the fourth year of primary who were performing either “well” or “very well” dropped from 76 per cent in 2011 to 69 per cent.

The National Numeracy Survey also showed the proportion of P7 pupils doing “well” or “very well” fell from 72 per cent in 2011 to 66 per cent in 2013.

Although performance did not get worse over the same period in secondary, the proportion of pupils performing at higher levels was just 42 per cent in S2 in 2013.

The government said it would make an extra £1 million available to fund school numeracy hubs to help drive up standards.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has also announced a new standardised testing regime for pupils in primary and secondary school.