Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has officially released the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) exam results.
Prof. Celestino Obua said whereas in 2024 Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) was treading on new ground, the 2025 terrain proved far more familiar, with significantly improved institutional capacity.
Obua sincerely commended the Executive Director and staff for their dedication and professionalism, which has enabled the successful release of the results of the second cohort of candidates under the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC).
During the release of the 2024 examination results, Obua stated that the Competence-Based Curriculum was a good and progressive reform. This assessment was based on insights gathered through interactions with various stakeholders.
Last year, the Board undertook a comprehensive study to obtain empirical evidence on the benefits of the CBC from the perspectives of school administrators, teachers, and learners themselves.
This study was further informed by your directive to address a legitimate and important question:
How do learners under the CBC differ from those under the former content-based curriculum?
The findings provide a clear and convincing answer. The results confirm that the CBC is a strong, transformative curriculum, well-positioned to produce the type of Ugandans needed to drive the country’s socio-economic transformation and advance Uganda toward its middle-income status vision.
The study reveals that learners trained under the CBC:
- Demonstrate strong research skills
- Can construct knowledge independently
- Are more creative and innovative
- Communicate more effectively
- Show improved critical thinking and problem-solving abilities
These outcomes affirm that the CBC is not only relevant but strategic in shaping a competent, skilled, and globally competitive generation.
Further details of the study findings will be presented in the summary report by the Executive Director.
UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo, stated that a total of 432,163 candidates from 3,975 examination centres registered for the UCE 2025 examination, compared to 359,417 candidates in 2024, representing an increase of 72,746 candidates (20.2%).
Candidate Distribution
- Males: 204,292 (47.3%)
- Females: 227,871 (52.7%)
- Programme Category
- USE beneficiaries: 154,642 (35.8%)
- Non-USE candidates: 277,521 (64.2%) Examination Attendance (2025) Candidates present: 429,949 (99.5%)
- Candidates absent: 2,214 (0.5%)
In comparison, 357,120 candidates sat for the examination in 2024. As observed in 2024, the rate of absenteeism continues to decline, reflecting improved candidate participation and retention.
Odongo shared more UCE 2025 result statistics:
Special Needs Candidates (SNE)) – A total of 708 Special Needs Education (SNE) candidates registered for the 2025 examination, comprising 342 males and 366 females, compared to 743 candidates in 2024.
Category Breakdown: The registered candidates included:
- Blind: 27
- Low vision: 116
- Deaf: 60
- Dyslexic: 90
- Physically handicapped: 72
- Other disabilities requiring extra time: 343
The “other disabilities” category includes candidates with sickle cell anaemia, epilepsy, and circumstantial disabilities, such as victims of accidents.
Attendance
Absent candidates: 4 (0.6%)
Support Arrangements by the Board
The Board made comprehensive provisions to ensure accessibility and fairness, including:
- Modification of examination questions
- Braille-format question papers for blind candidates
- Support personnel for physically handicapped and dyslexic candidates
- Sign Language interpreters for deaf candidates
- Enlarged-print question papers for candidates with low vision
- An additional 45 minutes per paper for all SNE candidates
Comparison of General Candidates’ Performance for the 2025 and 2024 UCE Examinations Under the Competency-Based Curriculum, candidate performance is reported using achievement levels represented by the letter grades A, B, C, D, and E.
The achievement levels for each subject were determined through systematic, technical processes involving statistical and psychometric analysis.
These processes integrate: Continuous Assessment (CA) conducted at school level — 20% contribution End-of-Cycle Examination score — 80% contribution. This combined assessment approach ensures a balanced and holistic evaluation of learner performance under the competency-based framework.
As shown in Table 2, achievement levels in the 2025 UCE examination demonstrate a marked improvement compared to 2024.
The overall results indicate that 428,628 candidates (99.69%) who sat for the 2025 examination qualified for the UCE certificate. This outcome will be reflected on both the transcript and the certificate as Result 1.
Odongo Stated “the percentage of candidates who did not qualify for the UCE certificate has declined significantly, dropping from 1.9% in 2024 to just 0.31% in 2025.
These outcomes will be indicated on candidates’ transcripts as either Result 2 or Result 3, defined as follows:
Result 2: Indicates that a candidate did not fulfil all the conditions for award, for example:
- Missing a project score
- Sitting for fewer subjects than required
- Lack of Continuous Assessment (CA) score
Result 3: Indicates that a candidate scored below the basic level (Grade E) in all subjects.
Odongo shared the Feedback from Candidates on the Examination
A random sample of 36,546 candidates drawn from 118 districts, of whom 49.7% were female, was used to gather feedback on key quality aspects of the examination.
A short questionnaire was administered to candidates immediately after they exited the examination room. This exercise was conducted across different dates over a two-week period.
Key Findings: Based on candidate responses:
- 96.3% indicated that the examination items were within the syllabus
- 74.7% found the time allocated to be adequate
- 88.2% reported that the items were clearly presented
- Perceived Level of Difficulty
- 4.7% found the examination easy
- 66.4% found the examination fair
- 28.8% found the examination difficult
Odongo shared the Examination Malpractice cases in the UCE 2025. Cases of examination malpractice at this level remain minimal, with only 63 cases reported.
The nature and design of the examination items do not easily lend themselves to malpractice. However, the few cases recorded were predominantly in: Mathematics and Practical papers in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
In these instances, there was overwhelming evidence that some candidates were provided with experimental results by teachers, which they merely copied into their tables.
Under the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) framework, candidates are required to use the given scenario to design and conduct investigations using the provided apparatus.
Where external assistance occurred, the investigation designs produced by candidates did not correspond with the recorded results, clearly indicating malpractice.
