The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) has published the 2025 Grade 7 results, confirming a marginal dip in the national pass rate despite a rise in the number of candidates — with girls once again outperforming boys.
Announcing the results yesterday, ZIMSEC board chairperson Professor Paul Mapfumo said candidates can view their results online on the ZIMSEC portal until Monday. After the four-day window, pupils will need to collect physical copies at their examination centres.
He also directed school heads to start collecting printed results from ZIMSEC regional offices on Monday.
A total of 395 090 pupils wrote this year’s exams, up from 387 429 last year — a 1.94% increase. However, the overall pass rate eased to 48.49%, down from 49.01% recorded in 2024.
Prof Mapfumo noted that all subjects achieved pass rates above 50%, with indigenous languages leading the pack.
Top-performing subjects included:
• Shona & Ndebele: Above 83%
• Physical Education & Arts: 78.59%
• Social Science: 63.81%
• Agriculture, Science & Technology: 57.93%
• English: 56.29%
• Other indigenous languages: Between 65.08% and 77.06%
The gender gap remained pronounced, with girls continuing their consistent lead. Out of 201 842 female candidates, 53.64% passed all six subjects. Boys trailed at 43.06%, with 81 698 male candidates obtaining full passes.
Special needs learners registered notable improvement. 391 sat for the exams — a 15.85% rise from last year. Of the 230 who attempted all subjects, 101 passed, pushing the pass rate to 43.91%, up from 37.19% in 2024.
Prof Mapfumo applauded teachers, markers, ZIMSEC staff, and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for their contribution to maintaining examination standards.
The release of the 2025 results officially closes the primary school chapter for this year’s cohort, who now gear up for their transition into secondary school next year.
