English and ICT Record Highest Number of Failures in HSC Exams 2026

English and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have recorded the highest number of failures in the 2026 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations, with a combined 382,021 candidates failing the two subjects.

Of them, 243,528 students failed English, while 138,493 failed ICT, according to an analysis of the results published on Saturday (October 31).

A total of 1,240,798 candidates appeared in the examinations under 11 education boards this year. Of them, 646,685 passed, while 594,113 failed.

The overall pass rate stood at 52.12%, the lowest since 2004, when the HSC pass rate was 47.74%. This makes the 2026 result the lowest in 21 years.

The results were announced around 11am at the conference room of the Secondary and Higher Education Division at the Secretariat. Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon presented the summary of the results.

The minister said students who failed would be given an opportunity to retake their examinations within the next one to two months. Candidates will only have to retake the subjects in which they failed, rather than all the examinations.

Results under nine general education boards

A total of 1,048,530 candidates appeared in the HSC examinations under the nine general education boards. Of them, 541,249 passed, putting the combined pass rate at 51.62%, down from 57.12% last year.

A total of 35,948 students secured GPA-5 under the nine general education boards this year, compared with 63,219 in 2025, marking a significant year-on-year decline.

Among this year's GPA-5 achievers, 19,721 were female and 20,363 were male. Last year, 37,044 female students and 32,053 male students secured the top grade.

Board-wise pass rates decline

The Rajshahi Education Board recorded a pass rate of 45.06%, down from 59.40% last year. At the Dinajpur Education Board, the rate stood at 45.98%, compared with 57.49% in 2025.

The Comilla Education Board recorded a pass rate of 48.04%, slightly below last year's 48.86%. At the Jashore Education Board, the rate fell to 44.92% from 50.20%.

The Chattogram Education Board recorded a pass rate of 52.07%, compared with 52.57% last year. The rate at the Sylhet Education Board stood at 50.90%, down from 51.86%.

At the Mymensingh Education Board, the pass rate was 51.44%, slightly lower than the previous year's 51.54%.

Madrasa and Technical Education Board results

Among the two equivalent education boards, the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board recorded a pass rate of 61.07%, compared with 75.61% last year.

The Bangladesh Technical Education Board posted a pass rate of 49.43%, down from 62.67% in 2025.

Overall, the pass rate across all 11 education boards stood at 52.12%, compared with 58.83% last year.

This year, the nine general education boards conducted the HSC examinations using common question papers for the first time. Previously, each education board used separate question papers for its examinations.