More candidates have attained a C grade and above in the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations compared to 2024, reflecting improved application of knowledge and skills to real-life situations.
Arts and Humanities subjects recorded the strongest performance, while Science subjects showed a notable decline in failure rates.
Despite the overall improvement, examiners noted that many learners still struggle with interpreting scenario-based questions.
While releasing the results, Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) Executive Director, Dan N. Odongo, described the outcome as broadly successful.
UNEB reported that 428,628 candidates, representing 99.69% of those who sat the exams, qualified for the UCE certificate.
Odongo clarified that candidates meeting the required competency levels will have “Result One” indicated on their transcripts and certificates.
He emphasised that this designation does not correspond to the former “Grade One” under the previous grading system.
Analysis of the results shows a sharp reduction in the proportion of candidates who did not qualify for the UCE certificate, falling from 1.9% in 2024 to just 0.31% in 2025.
According to Odongo, Humanities and Arts subjects led the gains, with particularly strong performances in Christian Religious Education (CRE), Geography, and English.
Science subjects also demonstrated progress, as fewer candidates failed to attain at least a D grade, the minimum competency level required to apply acquired knowledge and skills.
UNEB emphasized the importance of teachers focusing more on scenario-based skills interpretation, as the Competence-Based Curriculum prioritizes critical thinking and practical application over rote memorization.
By Francis Jjunju
13th Feb 2026
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