PLE 2025: English improves as SST performance declines

PLE 2025: English Improves as SST Performance Declines

By Editor

National

Candidates who sat the 2025 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) registered mixed performance trends across subjects, with notable improvement in English and a significant decline in Social Studies with Religious Education (SST), according to analysis released by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).

Presenting the results at the official release ceremony, UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo said English emerged as the best-performing subject, while SST recorded the weakest outcomes compared to 2024.

A two-year comparison of subject performance at Distinction 2, Credit 6, and Pass 8 levels shows that candidates performed best in English, followed by Integrated Science and Mathematics, with SST ranking lowest.

In English, performance improved significantly in 2025. Out of 807,432 candidates, 10.1% attained Distinction 2, up from 4.9% in 2024. At Credit 6, 67.6% reached the required standard, compared to 58.0% last year, while 91.9% attained Pass 8, up from 88.3%. UNEB attributed the improvement to stronger literacy and comprehension outcomes at the primary level.

However, SST recorded the sharpest decline among the four subjects. Candidates attaining Distinction 2 dropped from 7.9% in 2024 to 3.3% in 2025. At Credit 6, performance fell from 75.6% to 62.7%, while Pass 8 declined from 91.9% to 86.7%. UNEB described the trend as significant, pointing to potential gaps in preparation, comprehension, and classroom instruction.

Performance in Integrated Science remained relatively strong, though with declines at key levels. In 2025, 6.1% attained Distinction 2 compared to 6.4% in 2024, while Credit 6 dropped from 73.8% to 66.9%. At Pass 8, results declined from 93.4% to 90.5%.

Mathematics registered improvement at the top end. Distinction 2 rose from 7.4% in 2024 to 9.6% in 2025, while Credit 6 improved from 62.7% to 66.7%. The proportion attaining Pass 8 slightly declined from 89.4% to 88.9%.

UNEB’s divisional results show improved overall outcomes. A total of 91,990 candidates (11.39%) attained Division One in 2025, up from 84,301 candidates (10.7%) in 2024—an increase of 7,689. UNEB also reported that 7,503 more candidates passed in 2025 compared to the previous year.

Division Two remained the largest bracket with 388,293 candidates (48.10%), slightly lower than 50.5% recorded in 2024. Division Three remained largely stable at 165,226 candidates (20.47%), while Division Four increased to 84,724 candidates (10.49%) from 9.6% in 2024. The ungraded category also rose to 77,080 candidates (9.55%), up from 8.2%.

UNEB noted that most candidates scored between aggregate 11 and 30, with the mode at aggregate 22, indicating that the majority of learners remain within the mid-range performance band.

The results further revealed gender-based performance differences. Girls continued to outperform boys in English, a trend UNEB described as consistent. Boys, however, performed slightly better in Integrated Science and SST. In Mathematics, boys outperformed girls up to Credit 4 and were fewer in the lower grades and failure category.

Overall, males slightly outperformed females across divisions. 48,220 males (12.54%) attained Division One compared to 43,770 females (10.35%). The ungraded rate stood at 8.97% for males and 10.07% for females, indicating a higher failure rate among girls.

UNEB noted that while more candidates reached the top performance bracket in 2025, the increase in lower divisions and ungraded outcomes underscores the need for targeted interventions to support struggling learners.