Professor Mapfumo emphasized that adherence to CALA requirements is mandatory for candidates to access their results. “The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s position is clear: if a candidate does not have a CALA mark, there will be no results even if the theoretical part of the examination was written,” he stated.
Earlier this year, the government reformed the education curriculum, rebranding CALA as school-based projects that focus on practical assessments conducted at schools. These changes reduced the number of CALA learning areas from 11 to six for early childhood development (ECD A to Grade 2) and applied similar reductions from Grades 3 to 7. At the secondary level, core and compulsory learning areas were reduced from seven to five.
Professor Mapfumo also announced that the results for June’s O and A Level examinations are now accessible online via the ZIMSEC portal. Authorized personnel and candidates can view their results, and heads of examination centers will be able to collect printed results from ZIMSEC regional offices starting today.
The June examination session typically sees lower participation compared to November, with many candidates retaking exams or sitting for a limited number of subjects. For the June 2024 O Level exams, 32,026 candidates registered, comprising 919 school candidates and 31,107 private candidates. Of these, 30,088 candidates sat for exams across one to seven subjects, marking a 38.76% increase from last year’s 21,683 candidates.
Out of those who sat for five or more subjects, 383 candidates achieved a pass rate of 4.44%, compared to a 0.46% pass rate from June 2023. This increase is attributed to a rise in private candidates who registered for more subjects, despite generally lower performance compared to school candidates.
For the June 2024 A Level exams, 144 candidates registered, with 125 being private candidates. Only 120 candidates actually sat for the exams, reflecting a 53% decrease from the previous year. Among these, 52 candidates took two or more subjects, with 38 achieving a pass rate of 31.67%. This is a significant drop from the 75.89% pass rate recorded in June 2023.
Further analysis revealed that school candidates outperformed private candidates. Of the 18 school candidates, 15 took two or more subjects, and 13 achieved a pass rate of 72.23%. Conversely, 102 private candidates took the exams, with only 37 writing two or more subjects and 25 passing, resulting in a 24.51% pass rate.
The detailed statistics underline the importance of meeting CALA requirements and highlight significant trends in the performance and participation of candidates in the mid-year examinations.
Source: Herald