This report addresses the implications of school course structures for levels of participation in post-compulsory education in Scotland. The report cites a 21.2% level of participation in higher education among the young in Scotland. The paper contends that the structure of the Scottish Highers examination and related examinations (the Ordinary and Standard grades, the National Certificate, and the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies) contributes to Scotland's voluntary participation rates being higher than those of Britain as a whole, principally by reconciling the conflicting demands of access and standards. The report: (1) reviews evidence and arguments concerning voluntary participation and attainment at school, and entry to higher education; (2) analyzes participation in S4 (fourth year, and, for the majority of pupils the final compulsory year), S5, and S6; (3) discusses courses and attainment in S5 and S6 and trends and comparisons in overall attainment; (4) examines destinations after school, mainly applications and entry to higher education, and considers attainment in higher education; (5) attempts to place the functions of the S5 Higher courses in the overall context of post-compulsory participation at the secondary and tertiary levels; and (6) considers what would happen to participation in higher education if the S5 Higher were discontinued, based on empirical research and natural quasi-experiments. (65 references) (JDD)