HSC Pass Rate and GPA-5 Numbers May Fall Again This Year

The results of the 2026 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations will be published today, Saturday (October 31). Officials of the relevant education boards believe the pass rate and the number of students achieving GPA-5 may decline compared with last year.

Education stakeholders say several factors could influence the results, including examinations under the full syllabus, stricter assessment and disruptions to the continuity of academic activities at educational institutions.

In 2025, the average pass rate in the HSC and equivalent examinations was 58.83 per cent, while 69,097 students secured GPA-5. The number of top achievers had been much higher the previous year, with 145,911 students receiving GPA-5 in 2024. The figure dropped significantly within a year.

Sources concerned with the examination process also expect the pass rate and the number of GPA-5 achievers to fall this year. However, they say no definitive assessment can be made before the results are published.

Education stakeholders had identified several reasons behind the decline in the pass rate and GPA-5 numbers in 2025. One of the main factors was the return to full-syllabus examinations for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside stricter assessment.

During the pandemic and the following years, students had the opportunity to achieve better results through shortened syllabuses and comparatively flexible assessment. However, returning to the full syllabus after a prolonged period placed additional pressure on many students preparing for the examinations. With a wider syllabus to cover, many were unable to complete the necessary preparation.

Stakeholders also believe that students struggled to provide complete and analytical answers because creative questions did not repeat previous questions and question papers followed the prescribed structure. They further believe that less flexible answer-script evaluation and the absence of an opportunity to award grace marks affected the results. Some also consider strict monitoring at examination centres a possible factor.

An analysis of HSC and equivalent examination results over the past several years shows significant fluctuations in the number of students achieving GPA-5.

In 2025, 69,097 students secured GPA-5, compared with 145,911 in 2024. The number stood at 92,595 in 2023, 176,282 in 2022 and 189,169 in 2021.

The number of GPA-5 achievers was 161,807 in 2020, 41,807 in 2019, 29,262 in 2018, 37,726 in 2017 and 58,276 in 2016. The figures indicate substantial differences in the number of top achievers from year to year, with changes particularly evident during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Education stakeholders say the results may also have been influenced by the learning environment at educational institutions and the consistency of students' academic activities, in addition to question-paper standards and answer-script evaluation.

They point out that a section of this year's candidates enrolled in colleges after the 2024 mass uprising. At the time, various educational institutions across the country experienced unrest, which reportedly kept many students away from regular classes.

They also say the situation affected classroom attendance and, in some cases, students' interest in their studies, potentially disrupting their examination preparation.

According to education stakeholders, changes in assessment practices may also have contributed to variations in results. They say flexible guidelines for evaluating answer scripts were used in earlier years but were subsequently withdrawn.