The 2025/26 Advanced Level national examination results point to a sharp improvement in performance, with the pass rate climbing to 94.33 per cent from 89.1 per cent last year. ALSO READ: 94% of A-Level candidates pass national exams But the results announcement also carried a harder edge: the Ministry of Education confirmed that 1,097 candidates caught cheating will not be allowed to retake the exams. Here are the key takeaways from this year's results. Over 1,000 candidates involved in cheating The improved results came alongside a crackdown on examination malpractice. The ministry said 1,097 candidates from 27 districts were caught cheating in this year's S6 examinations and will not be allowed to retake them. ALSO READ: Over 1,000 malpractice cases recorded in A'Level exams Nsengimana drew a clear distinction between these candidates and the more than 7,000 primary school pupils who were given a retake after investigations found that teachers and other adults had facilitated cheating in 254 examination rooms during this year's Primary Leaving Examinations. To tighten supervision going forward, the ministry said two invigilators drawn from different locations will now be assigned to each examination room, a measure designed to reduce collusion between candidates and invigilators. More candidates scored higher NESA Director General Bernard Bahati said the results also showed a shift towards higher marks, not just more candidates crossing the pass mark. The share of candidates scoring at least 70 per cent rose from 38.63 per cent last year to 48.98 per cent this year, while the proportion scoring below 50 per cent fell from 10.91 per cent to 5.63 per cent. Boys outperformed girls Girls made up 55.05 per cent of candidates who sat the exams, yet boys recorded the higher pass rate: 95.94 per cent compared to 93.02 per cent for girls. The gap held across every stream, General Education (96.38 per cent for boys against 92.76 per cent for girls), Technical Secondary Education (95.46 per cent against 93.43 per cent) and Professional Education (96.46 per cent against 93.19 per cent), despite girls outnumbering boys in both General and Professional Education. General Education made the biggest jump in high scores Candidates scoring at least 70 per cent in General Education rose from 27.79 per cent last year to 48.63 per cent this year, while those scoring 90 per cent or above rose from 0.39 per cent to 3.31 per cent. Those scoring below 50 per cent fell from 16.23 per cent to 5.82 per cent. Fewer reached 70 per cent in TSS The overall Technical Secondary Education (TSS) pass rate stood at 94.55 per cent, but the share of candidates scoring at least 70 per cent fell from 54.28 per cent last year to 45.51 per cent, while those scoring below 50 per cent rose from 2.02 per cent to 5.36 per cent. Students attendance remained unchanged In 2024/25, 106,079 of 106,418 registered candidates sat the examinations, an attendance rate of about 99.7 per cent. This year, 108,406 of 108,732 registered candidates attended, a nearly identical rate. The number of candidates sitting the exams rose by 2,327, but the real story was in performance: the pass rate climbed by more than five percentage points. Top performers from schools for the visually impaired Brave Manzi Nshuti Kabanda of Petit Séminaire St Aloys in Rusizi topped General Education overall with 98.40 per cent in Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology. Deborah Umwali of Cornerstone Leadership Academy in Rwamagana followed with 97.52 per cent in History, Literature and Geography. In the Languages combination specifically, the top performer was Samuel Habumugisha of the Education Institute for Blind Children in Kibeho, Nyaruguru District, who scored 93.53 per cent. In Professional Education, Pacome Irakoze of TTC Rubengera recorded the highest score at 95.93 per cent in Social Studies. In TSS, Naomie Umunyurwa Karangwa of Ecole d'Art de Nyundo in Rubavu topped the sectors with 94.74 per cent in Craft and Recreational Arts.
