HARARE – The ZIMSEC Advanced Level pass rate for November 2020 declined by 2.1 percent from the previous year after the coronavirus outbreak disrupted learning, the exams board announced on Thursday.
The release of the results which are usually out by February was delayed amid strikes over allowances by markers, and the raging pandemic.
ZIMSEC said the 2020 candidates wrote their exams “under unprecedented conditions that were induced by the Covid-19 pandemic, yet their performance, though lower than 2019, was commendable.”
Some 49,153 candidates sat two or more subjects, with 39,802 passing at least two subjects by Grade E or better, translating to a pass rate of 81 percent, down from 83.1 percent in 2019.
School candidates sitting the exams were 42,231. Of that number, 41,691 sat two or more subjects and 34,597 passed, representing an 83 percent pass rate.
Of the 8,056 private candidates, 7,462 were examined in two or more subjects and 5,205 were graded E or better in two or more subjects for a 69.8 percent pass rate.
The results will be ready for collection at exam centres from Friday, and candidates can also check their results on the ZIMSEC website.
ZIMSEC has scrapped the traditional June final exams this year for both Ordinary Level and Advanced Level citing disruptions to the school calendar.
