Kampala, Uganda | The Uganda National Examinations Board has reported a significant increase in the number of candidates who sat the 2025 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education examinations, reflecting expanding access to post–O’ Level education in the country.
The results were officially released on Friday by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni at State House in Nakasero.
According to UNEB, a total of 166,400 candidates registered for the 2025 UACE examinations compared to 141,996 candidates in 2024, representing an increase of 24,404 candidates or 17.2%.
UNEB executive director Dan Odongo said that of the candidates who registered, 72,764 (43.7%) were females while 93,636 (56.3%) were males.
He added that 165,172 candidates eventually sat the examinations compared to 140,884 candidates in 2024, reflecting an increase of 24,288 candidates.
The number of examination centres also increased by 197, rising from 2,255 in 2024 to 2,452 in 2025.
Speaking during the release, UNEB chairperson Celestino Obua said the Board assessed a total of 1,402,434 candidates across the three national examinations in 2025, including the Primary Leaving Examination, Uganda Certificate of Education and UACE.
He noted that this figure had increased from 1,294,731 candidates assessed in 2024, indicating sustained growth in candidature across the country.
Obua explained that the continued growth in UACE candidature reflected expanded access to post–O’ Level education and increasing public confidence in the credibility of national assessments.
He added that while statistical variations could occur as the number of candidates increases, the Board had maintained the integrity of grading standards to ensure fairness and comparability over time.
The Board also reported improved completion rates, noting that the proportion of candidates who register but fail to sit examinations has continued to decline.
According to UNEB, female candidates performed better than their male counterparts in several Humanities subjects and registered lower failure rates overall.
However, the Board observed that subject choices remain gendered, with more female candidates concentrating in Humanities while fewer enroll for Science subjects.
Despite this, females also performed strongly at the principal pass level in most Humanities subjects as well as in Mathematics, Physics, General Paper, Subsidiary Mathematics and Subsidiary ICT.
At the top A grade level, however, male candidates recorded higher scores in Mathematics and Science subjects.
UNEB further reported that 540 Special Needs Education candidates registered for the 2025 UACE examinations, including 274 males and 266 females. This was an increase from 437 candidates in 2024.
Odongo said performance in science subjects continued to be affected by limited practical exposure among candidates.
He explained that common challenges included misinterpretation of experimental procedures, failure to present data graphically, difficulty in drawing conclusions from observations and errors in writing chemical equations.
He also noted that some candidates struggled to apply scientific concepts to real-life situations, adding that in some cases teachers skipped certain topics in areas such as Physical Chemistry.
Regarding examination malpractice, UNEB reported that cases remained low during the 2025 examinations.
Odongo said malpractice was reported in 47 out of the 2,452 examination centres involving 351 candidates, representing 0.2% of the total candidature.
He said the cases mainly involved receiving assistance during science practical examinations, possession of unauthorized materials and impersonation.
According to UNEB, the results of candidates implicated in malpractice have been withheld pending completion of investigations as provided for under the UNEB Act.
The Board also revealed that hearings for malpractice cases arising from the Primary Leaving Examination are ongoing, while hearings for UCE cases will begin on March 16, 2026.
Detailed reports on the performance of candidates in each subject will be compiled and shared with schools to guide improvements in teaching and learning.
