EDITOR
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has reported a significant increase in the number of candidates who sat for and passed the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations, reflecting improved performance under the new competency-based curriculum.
A total of 429,949 candidates sat for the 2025 examinations, compared to 357,120 candidates in 2024. According to results released on Friday, all the 429,949 candidates who qualified for the UCE certificate in 2025 passed, an increase from the 350,146 candidates who passed in 2024. The overall pass rate has also improved from 98.1 percent last year.
Understanding the New Grading System
Under the competency-based curriculum, candidates who qualify for the UCE certificate are recorded as Result 1 on their transcripts and certificates, signifying a pass.
Candidates who do not qualify for the certificate are assigned either:
Result 2 – indicating the candidate did not fulfil all conditions for the award, such as lacking a project score, sitting fewer subjects than required, or having missing scores.
Result 3 – indicating the candidate scored below the basic level (E) in all subjects.
UNEB noted a sharp decline in the percentage of candidates who did not qualify for the UCE certificate, dropping from 1.9 percent in 2024 to just 0.31 percent in 2025.
Improved Performance Across Subjects
The examination body highlighted improved performance in Christian Religious Education, Geography, and English Language compared to 2024. Additionally, more candidates attained higher grades of C and above in 2025.
Speaking during the release of results, UNEB Executive Director Dan N. Odongo said the improvement was particularly encouraging in the sciences.
“This is quite encouraging in the Sciences where percentages of candidates who have not achieved at least the D level have dropped very significantly,” Odongo noted.
Science Practical Skills Still a Concern
According to UNEB, science practical assessments required candidates to interpret given scenarios, develop aims and hypotheses, plan and conduct investigations, and draw meaningful conclusions.
While examiners reported noticeable improvements, they observed that many candidates still struggle to interpret scenarios, connect examination materials to real-life situations, and meaningfully interpret experimental results.
The results further revealed that a major cross-cutting challenge remains candidates’ difficulty in linking scenarios to creative thinking and real-life problem solving — competencies that lie at the heart of the new curriculum.
UNEB emphasized that teachers must intensify efforts to guide learners toward critical thinking.
“This curriculum is not merely about learning of facts, but emphasizes training of the mind to think,” the examination body stated.
The 2025 results signal steady progress under the competency-based curriculum, even as educators are urged to strengthen learners’ analytical and practical skills for real-world application.
