‘A’ level results out

The 2014 Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) ‘A’ level results are out.

In a statement, the ZIMSEC board and Management said candidates who sat for this examination will be able to collect their results from their respective schools/centres from Friday 23rd January 2015.

“We would like to notify the nation of the release of the November 2014 Advanced level examinations results. Examination centre heads are urged to collect the results from ZIMSEC Regional Offices from the 22 January 2015,” said ZIMSEC Director, Mr Esau Nhandara.

The ZIMSEC board thanked examiners, ZIMSEC staff and all other stakeholders for their work in ensuring all processes of the examination.

“The examinations were conducted without any incidents of leakages or malpractice nationwide, and as ZIMSEC, we would like to applaud the centre heads for a job well done. We [also] would like to extend our gratitude to the examiners and all ZIMSEC staff who worked tirelessly throughout the marking process to the point where we now have analyses and results to produce to the nation,” said Mr Nhandara.

The pass rate for school candidates stands at 82,61 percent, while 57,58 private candidates passed the examination.

Results analysis

ZIMBABWE SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

NOVEMBER 2014 EXAMINATIONS: ADVANCED LEVEL RESULTS ANALYSIS

To give a clear understanding of candidates in the same situation, we have grouped the analysis into two distinct categories, namely school candidates and private candidates. The rational for this distinction is as a result of teaching and learning strategies that the different candidates were exposed to. School candidates have professional teachers and other material resources at their disposal, a case which may not be the same for private candidates.

The total number of school candidates who sat for the November 2014 examination was 30 614 of whom 25 291 obtained a Grade E or better in two or more subjects. This gives a percentage pass rate of 82,61%. Private candidates were 7 324 and 4 217 obtained a Grade E or better in two or more subjects, which also translates into a percentage pass rate of 57,58%.

TABLE 1 : 2014 NOVEMBER “A” LEVEL NATIONAL PASS RATE

	Number of candidates who wrote two or more subjects	Number of candidates who passed two or more subjects	Percentage Pass Rate(%)
School Candidates	30 614	25 291	82,61
Private Candidates	7 324	4 217	57,58

Private candidates are usually fewer in the November examinations due to the fact that most of the candidates taking the November examinations are first time takers of examinations. It is assumed that the private candidates taking the examinations are registered students from commercial colleges. The performance of private and school candidates differs a great deal in that school candidates perform better (82,61%) than private candidates (57,58%) as illustrated in Table 1 above. The reasons could be that:

• School candidates attended lessons for the two years they were in school whereas the private candidates could have had formal tuition for one year or less which resulted in inadequate contact time with their tutors.
• Subject syllabuses in the schools are completed and this is an advantage to school candidates. Private candidates could have resorted to spotting of selected topics resulting in inadequate subject content.

There has been a marginal decline in the number of candidates registering for two or more subjects as from 2013. The number of school candidates who wrote two or more subjects at “A” Level in 2013 were 31 479 while in 2014 were 30 614, a decrease of 865 candidates 2.75%. The pass rate for 2013 was 81.58% and for 2014 was 82,61% and the almost constant pass rate for the two cohorts could mean that the candidates were exposed to the same learning conditions for the two years they were preparing for examinations.

NOVEMBER “A” LEVEL 2014 EXAMINATION PERFORMANCE

Generally, the performance of November 2014 candidates was commendable in most subjects. Reasons for this performance may vary from subject to subject and may only be substantiated by empirical research to confirm the trend in the pass rates. An important point to take note of is that grading standards for each subject did not change in any way. The standards have been benchmarked to previous ones and maintained in all subjects.

E.S NHANDARA

DIRECTOR

ZIMBABWE SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL