PSLE performance on upward trend
Pini Bothoko | Friday December 12, 2025 06:00
The latest data show upward movement in Grades A to C, while Grades D and E have remained largely unchanged.
According to BEC, the percentage of candidates obtaining Grade E or better reached 99.90%, a slight increase from 99.80% last year. Only 13 candidates were unclassified and assigned Grade U, a significant drop from 39 in 2024.
The proportion of candidates achieving Grade D or better rose by 0.90%, from 91.70% in 2024 to 92.60% in 2025. Similarly, those attaining Grade C or better increased from 73.30% to 74.10% and candidates obtaining Grade B or better climbed by 0.90%, reaching 41.20% this year. Performance at the top end also improved slightly, with Grade A achievers increasing from 21.10% in 2024 to 21.40% in 2025.
BEC further noted a reduction in candidates marked with “X” being those absent from some or all papers dropping from 68 in 2024 to 34 this year. The council concluded that overall performance has not only improved compared to 2024 but has been on a positive trajectory since 2023.
Furthermore, a gender analysis shows that female candidates outperformed their male counterparts at Grades A, B and C in both 2024 and 2025. Conversely, more males fell within Grades D and E. The average performance for female candidates across syllabuses stands at 73%, compared to 59% for males, underscoring a persistent gender performance gap.
The South East region emerged as the highest performer, with 88.91% of candidates obtaining Grade A to C, leaving only 21.09% in Grades D and E. On the opposite end, Ghanzi recorded the lowest performance, with only 50.99% achieving Grades A to C.
BEC also disclosed that seven regions that recorded improvements were South East, North West, Chobe, Kweneng, Central, Kgatleng and Southern. South East experienced the highest improvement at +5.10%. However, three regions being Ghanzi, North East and Kgalagadi registered declines, with Ghanzi posting the sharpest drop at -6.36%.
Analysing performance by centre type, private school centres again recorded the highest proportion of candidates in Grades A and B. They achieved a combined 95.70% for Grades A to C, slightly above last year’s 95.26%.
Government school centres improved from 71.58% in 2024 to 72.50% in 2025. OSET Centres recorded a sharp decline, dropping from 65.71% to 50%, though BEC cautioned that comparisons remain unreliable due to low and inconsistent candidature.
Meanwhile, candidates with special educational needs ranging from hearing and visual impairments to learning disabilities and medical conditions demonstrated improved performance at Grades A to C, though a decline was noted in Grades D and E.
No candidate in this category was assigned Grade U, with most achieving Grades C and D. BEC indicated that access arrangements continue to play a crucial role in supporting these learners.
The council further disclosed that one of the most concerning developments in the 2025 examination cycle is the spike in maladministration and malpractice cases. BEC reported 54 incidents this year, compared to 17 in 2024 a staggering 217.6% increase.
Of these, 52 were due to maladministration linked to negligence and failure to comply with examination regulations. Two cases were suspected malpractice, compared to five last year, which were later reclassified as maladministration.
BEC said the rise signals a growing number of centres failing to adhere to exam conduct regulations, urging immediate corrective measures.