The new instruction of the Ministry on conducting national exams has changed some features of the grading system.

For example, a score of “1” is no longer the highest score. The highest score is “6” and the lowest is “0”, which was not there before.

According to Article 30 of the Ministerial Instructions, the core subject assessment now consists of a seven (7) scale, expressed in both numerical and letter grades, which reflect the candidate’s level of achievement in each subject.

The Ministry of Education, through the National Examinations and Schools Inspection Authority (NESA), has established guidelines for the conduct and administration of national examinations in general and vocational education and training schools.

These guidelines will begin to be followed next academic year, according to Kamila Kanamugire, Acting Head of Basic Education and TVET Examinations at NESA.

The standards-based cut-offs for core national exam subjects are now: 70 to 100 percent is described as “excellent” with an “A” and a grade of “6”. Between 65 and 69 percent is described as “Very Good” with the letter “B” and a score of “5”. Between 60 and 64 percent is described as “Good” with a “C” and a grade of “4”.

Between 50 and 59 percent is described as “satisfactory” with the letter “D” and a grade of “3”, between 40 and 49 percent is described as “adequate” with the letter “E” and a grade of “2”. “. Between 20 and 39 percent are described as “fair” with the letter “S” and a score of “1”, and between 0 and 19 percent are described as “failed” with the letter “F” and a score of “0”. “.

For supporting subjects: 40 to 100 percent is described as “Fair” with the letter “S” and a value of “1”, and 0 to 39 percent is described as “Fail” with the letter “F” and a Grade value of “0”.

For TVET and Vocational Education, Integrated Assessment, Teaching Practicum, Accounting Practice, and Clinical Investment and Practice are graded as “A” on a 70 to 100 point range and “F” on a 0 to 69 point range. An “A” grade is a “6” and an “F” grade is a “0.”

According to Kanamugire, the new rating system has been designed to be easily understood by anyone.

“It was difficult for some to understand that a student with a score of “5” is the first, and a student with a score of “20” did not pass the primary final exam,” he said. “With the new grading system, the highest subject score is 6 points instead of 1, and the best overall score is 30 instead of 5.”