BGCSE national average still pegged at D grade

Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training Glenys Hanna-Martin speaks during a press conference to announce the national examination results at the Ministry of Education on August 28, 2025. Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

As of Friday, August 29, 2025

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

OF the 1,684 candidates who sat five or more BGCSE subjects this year, 627 — 37.2 percent — earned at least five C grades or better, while 970, or 57.6 percent, managed five subjects at grade D or above.

As a share of all 6,103 registrants, the numbers drop to about ten to 16 percent, though officials cautioned this understates achievement since many students take exams over multiple sittings.

Fewer students held steady at C and D grades across subjects, while more slipped into the weaker E, F and U bands. The overall results again place national performance close to the so-called “D average” that has long dominated public discussion, though officials say that label paints an incomplete picture of achievement.

Just 375 candidates — 22.3 percent of those sitting five or more subjects, or about six percent of all registrants — earned at least a C in Mathematics, English and a Science, one of the most widely recognised benchmarks of academic readiness.

Mathematics once again proved a stumbling block. Fewer than half of candidates achieved grades A–D in the subject this year, placing it alongside Biology and Bookkeeping & Accounts as areas where most students struggled. English Language, by contrast, ranked among the stronger performers, with the cohort doing best in creative and practical subjects such as Art & Design, Food & Nutrition and Music.

Overall, 83.4 percent of all BGCSE grades fell between A and E, a result officials described as a recurring accomplishment. But unlike in past years,

the report gave no subject-by-subject breakdown showing how many candidates earned at least a D in core exams like Maths or English, and officials did not take questions from the press when releasing the results.

The data also show that although more students registered for BGCSE this year — 6,103, up 2.9 percent from 2024 — the total number of grades awarded dipped slightly, from 20,616 to 20,595. That means candidates on average sat fewer subjects than before.

By gender, both males and females slipped at C and D, but males saw a small rise at grade A while females fell. At the bottom end, both sexes recorded increases at E, F and U, a sign of continued difficulty at the weakest bands.

Several schools also recorded GPA improvements compared to last year. A.F. Adderley, D.W. Davis, Government High and C.C. Sweeting were among those showing gains in New Providence, while Eight Mile Rock High, Tabernacle Baptist, Central Andros High, Queen’s College, Aquinas College and St Augustine’s College also posted improvements.

JokeyJack 3 months, 1 week ago

The first political Party that says children can't graduate without academic performance at a certain level with lose re-election. Parents support their kids 3ven when they live on phones all day. Just a fact. You want upset very upset parents???? Try saying their child can't graduate.

JokeyJack 3 months, 1 week ago

https://youtu.be/pbYqa2mQF-M?si=BOXVSQG…

sheeprunner12 3 months, 1 week ago

The Government brags that over 80% of seniors graduate, but only 30% can pass enough BGCSEs to enter college.

So, it means that the criteria to graduate is far below the level to get a "C" on BGCSE.

Can anyone see that something is wrong with this situation??????

ExposedU2C 3 months, 1 week ago

LMAO

temptedbythefruitofanother 3 months ago

what's this mean exactly? That over half of students can't add?

"Mathematics once again proved a stumbling block. Fewer than half of candidates achieved grades A–D in the subject this year"

"stumbling block"? who would have thought?

birdiestrachan 3 months ago

There is the saying that one can take the horse or in the case of fnm the donkey. But you can not make

them drink. Smile Fnms perhaps some children need extra attention maths was not easy for me.

bogart 3 months ago

Given that the public school system have a student population of some 50,000 students and the private school population have a student population of some 16,000 --- there should be a separate analysis of national grading exam levels ----- of the private school exam students and the equivalent level of the public exam school students ----- ESPECIALLY when the national grading is at the almost or bottom "D" level.

Is is possible that one schooling system be hugely pushing up the other school system when combined ----- EVEN to the height to be at the bottom level of "D" grade?

National Grading at "D" level is extremely CRITICAL to be improved given the importance of the youths will be the future workforce and leaders for the Bahamas nation, that immediate CRITICAL action be taken in light of the school education level.

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