The results for this year’s Grade Seven examinations were announced yesterday, revealing a pass rate of 49.01%, a notable increase from last year’s 45.57%. This improvement is attributed to enhanced teaching methods, with girls achieving an average pass rate of 53.68%, outperforming boys at 43.99%.
The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) credited the rise in pass rates to interventions by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, which focused on improving the teaching and learning processes to ensure that more students received quality education.
Starting yesterday at 3 PM, the results became accessible on the Zimsec online portal, and heads of schools will be able to collect printed results from regional Zimsec offices on Monday.
Zimsec chairperson Professor Eddie Mwenje announced a 3.44 percentage point increase in the national pass rate, stating: “The 2024 Grade Seven examination recorded a national pass rate of 49.01% for candidates who sat for six subjects. This represents an increase from last year’s 45.57%, thanks to the Ministry’s interventions in teaching and learning.”
All subjects reported pass rates above 50%, with Shona and Physical Education & Arts exceeding 80%. The new optional subject, Xhosa, had a pass rate of 72.41%, although few candidates opted to take it.
Notably, a greater number of girls sat for the exams compared to boys, with 199,939 girls and 187,490 boys among the total 387,429 candidates.
Prof Mwenje added, “In general, there was an increase in pass rates across all subjects, except for a slight decrease of less than one percent in Shona and Xichangani.”
Among the candidates, 328 special needs students participated, with 194 taking six subjects and 134 classified as hard of hearing taking five subjects, resulting in an overall average pass rate of 37.19% for special needs learners. Last year, the pass rate for this group was 42.99% with 357 candidates.
It is worth noting that there has been a consistent rise in both the number of special needs candidates and their performance, with a steady trend of passing with a grade six or better over the past five years.
The number of candidates for Zimsec’s Grade Seven examinations has also grown, increasing from 327,599 in 2020 to 387,429 this year, while the overall pass rate improved from 37.11% in 2020 to 49.01% this year.
The online platform e-map is now fully operational, allowing access to Grade Seven results, and starting Monday, secondary school heads can begin the selection process for Form One enrollment.
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