Marginal improvement at this year’s O/L exam results

Last year’s GCE OL Exam results released early this week showed a marginal improvement in the success rate, compared with the previous year.

Of the 164,191 candidates who sat, 60.8% qualified to follow the Advanced Level Exam (AL), while only 4.73% failed in all subjects. In the previous year, 60.57% qualified for the ALS, while 5.31% failed in all six subjects.

However, there was a 5% decrease in the percentage of students who passed in Mathematics, compared with 2010, viz., a success rate of 55.33% in 2011, against 60.38% in 2010. More students passed Science and English last year compared with the previous year. Last year, 62.4% passed in Science, against 61.72% in the previous year. Last year, 44.57% passed in English, against 42.36% in the previous year.

An analysis of those who sat the exam for the first time shows that 4.73% students failed in all nine subjects. A decrease of 0.94% compared with 2010.

The Western Province which had the highest number of candidates sitting for the exam performed best, while the Central and Southern provinces were placed second and third respectively.

Despite the post-war situation in the Northern Province, it performed fourth best. More than half the candidates who sat for the examination from each province qualified to follow the GCE A/L classes.

The lowest number to qualify for A/LS came from Kilinochchi with 35.39%, followed by Mullaitivu 40.16%, Trincomalee

48.79%, Moneragala 49.62% and Nuwara Eliya 49.99%. The highest number who failed in all nine subjects were from the Moneragala district with 10.78%, followed by Kilinochchi 8.05%, Polonnaruwa 7.15%, Matale 6.63%, and Anuradhapura 6.15%.

Considering the results at zonal level, the highest number of failures were from the Wilgamuwa Zone in the Matale district, where 15.71% failed in all nine sub- jects, followed by Moneragala 11.77%, Bibile 11.37%, Mahiyangana 9.92%, Kantale 9.83%, Wellawaya 9.73%, Teldeniya 8.78%, Dimbulagala 8.24% and Kilinochchi 8.05%. The lowest number to qualify to sit the A/L Exam was from Kilinochchi with 35.39 % qualifying, followed by Tunukkai 36.59%, Jaffna Islands 39.38%, Mullaitivu 42% and Madhu 42.24%.

A total of 12,795 students failed in all subjects.

Of the successful candidates, 1.45% ob- tained ‘A’s in all nine subjects this time, against 1.13% in 2010, an increase of 0.32%. The top three performing districts are Colombo with 4.24% obtaining ‘A’s in all nine subjects, followed by Gampaha with 2.03% and Kalutara with 1.51%.

The highest number to qualify for entry to GCE A/L classes was also from the Colombo district with 71.62%, followed by Kurunegala 65%, Matara 64.67%, Kalutara 63.32% and Kegalle 63.75% .