The results for the 2023/24 senior six national exams (A-Level) released on Friday, November 15, at Rwanda Education Board (REB) headquarters, show an overall pass rate of 78.6 percent. According to the Ministry of Education, 91,248 candidates sat for the 2023/2024 national examinations.

Here are five key highlights from this year’s results:

1. Drop in pass rate

This year, the general pass rate dropped compared to previous years. According to the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA), the overall pass rate for advanced-level candidates (General Education, Technical Secondary Schools, and Teacher Professional Education) is now 78.6 percent.

General Education (GE): 67.5 percent, down from 95 percent last year.

Technical Secondary Schools (TSS): 96.1 percent, slightly lower than last year’s 97.65 percent.

Professional Education (PE): 98.1 percent, compared to 99.7 percent previously.

The Minister of Education, Joseph Nsengimana, attributed this drop to changes in the grading system, emphasizing that the adjustments were necessary to align with the country’s Vision 2050.

"Our economy will increasingly rely on knowledge and skills. This requires us to raise the standards of education to ensure students graduate with the competencies needed to contribute meaningfully to our development goals,” he explained.

While pass rates might appear lower, he said, the focus is now on sustainable knowledge acquisition rather than simply passing examinations.

2. Removal of two principal passes

A major change this year was the removal of the two principal pass requirements for university admission. Under the previous system, students needed at least two principal passes to qualify for higher education.

Nsengimana explained that the new system calculates the overall marks for all subjects, and students who pass the examinations are now automatically eligible for university admission.

"This approach eliminates the confusion of students passing national examinations but being denied university admission due to insufficient principal passes. It simplifies the process and ensures fairness,” he said.

The Minister of State for Education, Claudette Irere, said the change will improve the quality of education by providing a clear distinction between those who pass and those who do not.

3. Changes in marks grading system

This year’s marks grading system marks slightly changed from the previous one to evaluating candidates’ performance.

Each candidate’s raw marks in each subject are now assigned a letter grade based on specific grade ranges:

A (80–100): Excellent, B (75–79): Very Good, C (70–74): Good, D (65–69): Satisfactory, E (60–64): Adequate, S (50–59): Minimum Pass and F (0–49): Fail.

Previously, under the grading system for two principal passes, the scores were categorized as follows:

70-100: Grade A (principal pass) 65-69: Grade B (principal pass), 60-64: Grade C (principal pass), 50-59: Grade D (principal pass), 40-49: Grade E (principal pass), 20-39: Grade S (subsidiary pass) and 0-19: Grade F (fail)

This is a departure from the previous system, which also factored in principal passes for university admission. The revised grading system is designed to reflect students’ actual performance while maintaining comparability on an international level for those pursuing studies abroad.

4. Upcountry schools outperform urban schools

Schools in rural districts outperformed their urban counterparts. The top-performing students in all 18 categories across General Education, TSS, and PE were from multiple districts: one from Musanze, two from Rutsiro, one from Rubavu, one from Gatsibo, three from Nyanza, one from Nyabihu, one from Karongi, one from Gicumbi, one from Rulindo, one from Ruhango, one from Huye, three from Gisagara, and one from Rusizi.

The top students were awarded certificates, laptops, and scholarships.

Irere announced that 50 full scholarships are available for the best-performing students, covering tuition fees without the requirement for repayment.

"The scholarship is up for those who will wish to pursue their studies at University of Rwanda and Rwanda Polytechnic,” she said.

5. Unveiling of raw marks

For the first time, students, and parents or guardians, can access the raw marks for each subject, offering greater transparency in the evaluation process.

"This change was implemented following feedback from parents and the media, who wanted to see students’ exact scores instead of just their grades,” Irere explained.

Nsengimana emphasized that while raw marks are now accessible, the grading system will remain in place to facilitate international recognition of qualifications.