Latest News Editor's Choice


News / National

49% pass rate in 2024 Grade 7 exams

by Staff reporter
30 Nov 2024 at 13:00hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) has revealed that the national pass rate for the 2024 Grade Seven exams stands at 49.01%, marking a notable increase from last year's 45.57%. The results, which were made available from 4 PM yesterday, show a positive trend in the overall performance of candidates.

Increase in Candidature and Performance

A total of 387,429 candidates sat for the 2024 Grade 7 exams, with 372,603 candidates sitting for the exams in 2023, representing a 3.98% increase in the number of candidates. The examinations covered one to six subjects, with candidates showing improvement across the board, particularly in subjects such as Shona, Physical Education, and Arts.

In a statement, ZIMSEC attributed the rise in the national pass rate to several initiatives by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, which focused on enhancing teaching and learning processes. "The 2024 Grade 7 Examination session recorded a national pass rate of 49.01% for candidates who sat for six subjects, reflecting an increase of 3.44% in performance from last year," ZIMSEC said.

Subject Performance

All subjects in the 2024 exams recorded pass rates above 50%. Shona and Physical Education and Arts stood out with pass rates exceeding 80%, while most subjects saw improvements in pass rates. However, Shona and Xichangana recorded slight declines of less than one percent in performance compared to previous years.

Introduction of Xhosa Language

In a significant development, Xhosa was examined for the first time in the 2024 session, achieving a pass rate of 72.41%. Although the number of candidates for Xhosa was lower compared to other subjects, the introduction of the language was seen as a positive step toward increasing linguistic diversity in the curriculum.

Gender Performance Breakdown

The 2024 results show a clear gender disparity, with female candidates outperforming their male counterparts. Out of the 387,429 candidates, 199,939 were female and 187,490 were male. Female candidates achieved a pass rate of 53.68%, significantly higher than the male candidates' pass rate of 43.99%. This mirrors the trend seen in the 2023 examination results.

Access to Results

Heads of schools will be able to collect their students' results from the ZIMSEC regional offices starting Monday. Parents and guardians can also view their children's results via the ZIMSEC Online Results Portal.

The 2024 Grade 7 pass rate is seen as a positive sign of progress in the education system, with improvements in both performance and participation. ZIMSEC has committed to continuing to monitor and support efforts to enhance the quality of education in Zimbabwe.

Source - the chronicle