KAMPALA: The Uganda National Examinations Board has today released the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examination results for the second cohort under the new lower secondary competence-based curriculum, with the number of candidates increasing by 21 per cent compared to the pioneer cohort.
The UCE results for a total of 432,159 candidates were officially released by Education and Sports Minister Janet Kataha Museveni at State House, Nakasero, in Kampala.
Of these, 227,748 are girls, while 204,211 are boys. This compares to the 357,120 candidates who sat in 2024 (117,133 were boys, while 182, 284 were girls).
The overall performance shows marked improvement. A total of 428,628 candidates (99.69%) qualified for the UCE certificate. Only 0.31% did not qualify, a sharp drop from 1.9% in 2024.
The new lower curriculum rolled out by the Ministry of Education in 2020 presented requirements for assessment reforms that introduced new components of Continuous Assessment (CA) and Project Work in addition to the existing End of Cycle Examinations.
Under the competency-based assessment, grading of learners using Divisions was eliminated and replaced with competency level grading, where a student qualifies for a UCE certificate as long as they obtain a competency level grade of D in at least one subject.
What the new grading means:
Grade “A” means a candidate is exceptional and demonstrates an extraordinary level of competency by applying innovatively and creatively the acquired knowledge and skills in real-life situations. Grade
Grade “B” means the learner is outstanding and demonstrates a high level of competency by applying the acquired knowledge and skills in real-life situations.
Grade “C” means Satisfactory and demonstrates an adequate level of competency by applying the acquired knowledge and skills in real-life situations.
Grade “D” means Basic and demonstrates a minimum level of competency in applying the acquired knowledge and skills in real-life situations.
Grade “E” means Elementary and demonstrates below the basic level of competency in applying the acquired knowledge and skills in real-life situations.
The release of the UCE results is expected to provide a detailed breakdown of performance, including overall pass rates, subject performance, gender comparisons, and trends that will help assess the progress of education reforms and learning outcomes across Uganda.
 examination results for the second cohort under the new lower secondary competence-based curriculum, with the number of candidates increasing by 21 per cent compared to the pioneer cohort.){kind=link}