Did stricter evaluation pull down SSC pass, GPA-5 rates in Bangladesh?

In the past, examiners were unofficially told to award extra marks to ensure good results, but that may not have happened this year, a former examiner says

The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exam results have registered their sharpest decline in 15 years, and observers are pointing to two broad explanations: a steep drop in pass rates in English and mathematics, and the drastic downturn in results from the Barishal and Mymensingh education boards.

A closer look at the data reveals severe underperformance in key subjects. Yet some education experts say the biggest shift this year may lie not in what students wrote, but in how their answer sheets were evaluated.

For years, they argue, SSC results were artificially produced by inflated marking, a policy unofficially pursued under the Awami League government to show progress in education.

This year, with a new administration in place following the mass uprising that toppled the nearly 16-year regime of the Sheikh-Hasina led government, those practices may have changed.

Some analysts also cite the post-Uprising instability in schools and the financial stress on families caused by inflation as contributing factors to the poor results.

This year’s overall pass rate across SSC and equivalent exams was 68.45 percent, the lowest since 2009, when it stood at 67.41 percent. Until now, the lowest in the last 15 years had been 77.8 percent in 2018.

A total of 139,032 students earned the highest GPA-5 grade, representing just 10.66 percent of those who passed. Compared with 2024, the pass rate has dropped by 14.59 percentage points and the number of GPA-5 achievers fell by 43,097.

Last year, 83.04 percent of students passed and 182,129 obtained GPA-5.

This year’s exam was also notable for being the first public test in post-Uprising Bangladesh. A total of 1.9 million students from 30,088 institutions took the exam; of them, 1.3 million passed.

As in 2024, the exam was conducted on the full syllabus, with full marks and allotted time. This cohort of students studied Class 9 and 10 under the 2012 curriculum.

Although SSC exams are traditionally held in February, COVID-19 forced delays for three straight years. In 2024, the exams resumed in February, but this year they began on Apr 10, two months late due to political upheaval. Written exams concluded on May 13, with practicals held between May 15 and 22.

SHARPEST FALL: ENGLISH AND MATH

Across all 11 education boards, English and mathematics saw the sharpest fall in pass rates.

In 2024, 94.58 percent of Dhaka board candidates passed English. This year, the figure fell to 87.85 percent.

In Rajshahi, English pass rates dropped from 96.22 to 93.10 percent, while in Cumilla, from 94.55 to 88.78 percent. In Barishal, the decline was staggering, from 93.22 to just 69.66 percent.

The picture was even grimmer in mathematics.

In Mymensingh, the pass rate in math plunged to 64.27 percent from 89.51 percent. In Barishal, it dropped to 64.62 percent from 92.96 percent.Other boards also reported sharp drops in math performance.

Board	2025			2024			2023
	Pass (%)	GPA-5		Pass (%)	GPA-5		Pass (%)	GPA-5
Dhaka	67.51%	37,068		83.92%	49,190		77.55%	46,303
Rajshahi	77.63%	22,327		89.26%	28,074		87.89%	26,877
Cumilla	63.60%	9,902		79.23%	12,100		78.42%	11,623
Jashore	73.69%	15,410		92.33%	20,761		86.17%	20,617
Chattogram	72.07%	11,843		82.80%	10,823		78.29%	11,450
Barishal	56.38%	3,114		89.13%	6,145		90.18%	6,311
Sylhet	68.57%	3,614		73.35%	5,471		76.06%	5,452
Dinajpur	67.03%	15,062		78.43%	18,105		76.87%	17,410
Mymensingh	58.22%	6,678		85.00%	13,176		85.49%	13,177
Madrasah	68.09%	9,066		79.66%	14,206		74.70%	6,213
Technical	73.63%	4,948		81.38%	4,078		86.35%	18,145
Total	68.45%	139,032		83.04%	182,129		80.39%	183,578

BARISHAL, MYMENSINGH WORST HIT

Among the 11 boards, Barishal and Mymensingh recorded the worst overall results.

In Barishal, the pass rate dropped to 56.38 percent, down from 89.13 percent a year earlier. GPA-5 achievers halved to 3,114 from 6,145.

In Mymensingh, the pass rate was 58.22 percent, down from 85 percent. Just 6,678 students secured GPA-5 this year, compared with 13,176 in 2024.

“PROPER EVALUATION”, CENTRE MANAGEMENT IN FOCUS

The Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, headed by Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka Chairman Prof Khondokar Ehsanul Kabir, admitted that examiners were told to evaluate answer sheets strictly based on what students wrote, without inflating scores.

Speaking to bdnews24.com, he said, “We used to hear examiners were told to increase marks to ensure students pass or get better grades. This year, we instructed them to assess the scripts strictly according to merit.”

Barishal board’s exam controller Prof GM Shahidul Islam echoed this. He said better centre management and strict anti-cheating measures contributed to the drop in pass rates and GPA-5 numbers.

“This year, rural areas saw the worst results,” he said.

“Previously, examiners were told to award marks even for partially correct answers. That didn’t happen this time. Officials made frequent centre visits, and cheating was strictly curbed.”

He said he believes this will lead to improved “quality in education”.

At the Dhaka board press conference, Ehsanul noted that using “venue centres”, where teachers from larger schools invigilated their own students, was largely avoided this year, except in remote haor areas.

Abul Hossain, a retired senior teacher who had long served as an SSC examiner, told bdnews24.com: “In the past, we were unofficially told to award extra marks. If that wasn’t done this time, it may explain the drop in pass rates and GPA-5.”

Former Dhaka board chairman Prof Tapan Kumar Sarkar, however, denied the allegation.

“During my time, I never instructed anyone to increase marks,” he said. “The idea that marks were artificially inflated is a rumour.”

POLITICAL, ECONOMIC FALLOUT?

Prof Mohammad Ali Zinnah of Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research believes political and economic factors also played a part in the SSC slump.

He said, “The previous government used to inflate results to show success. That didn’t happen this year, and that’s a good sign. The new administration seems to be taking their responsibilities seriously.”

He said educational institutions were in turmoil for months after the Uprising.

“Students went through emotional trauma. That too may have contributed to fewer GPA-5s and lower pass rates.”

He also pointed to economic hardship as a factor.

“There’s a severe shortage of teachers in schools, so students rely heavily on private coaching. With rising inflation, many families couldn’t afford it this year, especially in rural areas,” he said.

“Parents from remote regions may not have been able to arrange private tutors or coaching. That could explain why results from these areas were especially poor.”

[Writing in English by Syed Mahmud Onindo]