Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Raymond Jaravaza, raymondjaravaza@gmail.com
THE Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) has announced that the 2024 Grade Seven pass rate is 49.01 percent, an increase from last year’s 45,57 percent. This year’s results were available for viewing from yesterday at 4 PM on the Zimsec Online Results Portal.
Heads of schools will be able to collect the results from their respective Zimsec regional offices starting Monday.
“A total of 387 429 candidates sat for one to six subjects during the 2024 Grade 7 examinations, compared to 372 603 candidates in 2023, showing a 3,98 percent increase in candidature. The 2024 Grade 7 Examination session recorded a national pass rate of 49,01 percent for candidates who sat for six subjects. This is an increase of 3,44 percent in candidates’ performance from last year’s pass rate of 45,57 percent,” announced Zimsec in a statement.
Zimsec attributed the increase in pass rate to various interventions by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in terms of teaching and learning.
“All subjects recorded pass rates of above 50 percent in 2024, with Shona and Physical Education and Arts recording above 80 percent respectively compared to other subjects. Generally, there was an increase in the pass rate in all subjects, with the exception of a less than one percent decrease in Shona and Xichangana,” said the examinations body.
Xhosa was examined for the first time in 2024 and recorded a pass rate of 72,41 percent, though the candidature was low, said Zimsec.
Out of the 387,429 candidates who sat for the 2024 Grade 7 examination, 199 939 were females while 187 490 were males. The pass rate for female candidates was 53,68 percent compared to 43,99 percent for male candidates. In the 2023 examination, female candidates again outperformed male candidates.
