Kampala, Uganda — The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the comprehensive performance analysis for the 2024 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), showing a notable trend in the academic abilities of candidates across different subjects. The detailed breakdown of results provides insights into how well candidates mastered the four core subjects: Mathematics, English, Integrated Science, and Social Studies & Religious Studies.
Key Findings: A Breakdown of Ability Levels
The performance of candidates in the 2024 PLE was categorized into three distinct ability levels: Higher Ability, Medium Ability, and Lower Ability. The overall assessment highlights the proficiency of candidates in each subject, providing a clearer understanding of the general academic capabilities of Primary 7 students in Uganda.
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1. Higher Ability Performance
Across all subjects, less than 20% of the candidates exhibited higher proficiency in mastering the subject material. This group, identified as higher ability candidates, demonstrated the capacity to not only recall facts but also apply them in problem-solving situations and new contexts.
- Mathematics saw 17.4% of candidates classified under higher ability, a significant proportion compared to English at 17.0%, Social Studies & Religious Studies at 14.7%, and Integrated Science at 14.3%.
- These figures suggest that Mathematics and English challenged candidates to a higher degree, with more candidates showcasing higher proficiency in these subjects compared to the others.
2. Medium Ability Performance
The medium ability group represented the largest portion of candidates in all subjects, indicating that most students were able to grasp the subject matter but faced difficulty in applying the knowledge to more complex problems. These candidates could recall facts and concepts but struggled with new or unfamiliar scenarios.
- In Mathematics, 67.9% of candidates were categorized as medium ability, followed by 65.8% in English, 61.8% in Integrated Science, and 69.5% in Social Studies & Religious Studies.
- This suggests that most students had a reasonable understanding of the subjects but faced challenges with application-based tasks that required critical thinking or deeper analysis.
3. Lower Ability Performance
The lower ability category, representing students who struggled to recall basic facts and concepts, was most prominent in Integrated Science, where 24% of candidates were placed. This was followed by English at 17.2%, indicating that language skills also posed a challenge for a significant number of students.
- Social Studies & Religious Studies recorded 15.8% of candidates in the lower ability category, while Mathematics saw 14.7% of candidates in this group.
- The percentage of candidates in the lower ability category highlights areas where additional focus on foundational knowledge and skills may be needed to support struggling learners.
Subject-Specific Analysis: Performance Trends
Mathematics
Mathematics consistently presented the highest proportion of candidates in the higher ability and medium ability categories. The overall performance, however, showed a slight decline in comparison to the previous year, with 7.4% of candidates achieving Distinction (D2), 62.7% achieving Credit (C6), and 89.4% securing Pass (P8) or higher. The higher ability group (17.4%) was better equipped to tackle problem-solving and application-based questions.
English
English remained the subject with the highest performance in terms of the number of candidates achieving Credit and Distinction grades. However, a notable decline in Distinction (D2) scores from the previous year, particularly in reading comprehension and composition writing, was observed. Despite this, English had 4.9% of candidates achieving Distinction (D2) and 58.0% achieving Credit (C6), while 88.3% passed overall.
Integrated Science
Performance in Integrated Science showed a relatively higher percentage of candidates in the lower ability group (24%), indicating that many students struggled with the scientific concepts, particularly those requiring analytical and critical thinking skills. Despite this, 93.4% of candidates achieved Pass (P8) or higher, with 6.4% securing Distinction (D2) and 73.8% achieving Credit (C6).
Social Studies & Religious Studies
Social Studies & Religious Studies showed a more consistent performance across the board, with 91.9% of candidates achieving Pass (P8) or above, and 7.9% achieving Distinction (D2). Although Social Studies had a relatively better performance compared to the other subjects, the subject’s overall trend was comparable to that of Integrated Science, with both subjects showing a similar spread of higher, medium, and lower ability groups.
Overall Performance by Grades
The distribution of overall performance by grade category for the 2024 PLE revealed that:
- 10.7% of candidates achieved Division 1 (Distinction), slightly lower than the previous year’s figure of 11.7%.
- 50.5% of candidates attained Division 2 (Credit), an increase compared to 45.7% in 2023.
- 21.0% were placed in Division 3 (Pass), with 9.6% in Division 4, and 8.2% falling into the Ungraded (U) category.
- The overall Pass rate stood at 91.8%, an improvement over 88.0% in 2023, reflecting an overall enhancement in performance compared to the previous year.
Gender-Based Performance Differences
A closer look at performance by gender revealed that females performed better in English, whereas males outperformed females in Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. The gender differences in subject performance suggest that while females excelled in language-based subjects, males were more adept in analytical and problem-solving subjects.
The 2024 Primary Leaving Examination results indicate an overall improvement in candidate performance, particularly in Division 2 and above. While Mathematics and English remained challenging for a significant portion of students, the higher ability group in all subjects demonstrated the ability to apply knowledge in a wide range of contexts. However, areas like Integrated Science require further attention, particularly in fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills among candidates.
The improved overall pass rate and the shift in performance trends suggest that the educational interventions being introduced by the Ministry of Education and Sports are yielding positive results, though continued focus on subject-specific strategies, especially for Science and Mathematics, remains essential.
