GOVERNMENT IMPRESSED WITH THE 2026 GCE PASS RATE
GOVERNMENT IMPRESSED WITH THE 2026 GCE PASS RATE
The 2026 General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination results have been released, with 85.63 percent of candidates passing at least one subject. Acting Minister of Education, Honourable Dr Gilbert Siame, M.P announced the results today, 17th September, 2026, noting that performance is similar to that of 2025.
Here are the highlights:
✅ 140,938 candidates entered for the 2026 GCE examinations, comprising 43,488 males and 97,450 females.
✅ 130,866 candidates sat the examinations, representing 92.85 percent of those who entered, an improvement from 91.43 percent in 2025.
✅ 112,640 candidates passed at least one subject, representing an 85.63 percent pass rate, compared to 85.70 percent in 2025.
✅ 18,226 candidates did not pass any of the subjects they sat for, representing 13.93 percent down from 14.04 percent in 2025.
✅ Female candidates accounted for 70.16 percent of those who sat the examinations, while males accounted for 29.84 percent.
✅ Called for increased participation among males in the GCE examinations to enable more of them to improve their grades and access opportunities for further education and employment.
✅ Absenteeism declined from 8.57 percent in 2025 to 7.15 percent in 2026, with 10,072 candidates recorded as absent.
✅ French recorded the highest subject mean score at 87.61 percent, while Mathematics recorded the lowest at 21.19 percent.
✅ Practical subjects recorded the highest mean score among subject groups at 63.54 percent, followed by Literature and Languages at 51.94 percent.
✅ Natural Sciences recorded 38.74 percent, Social Sciences 32.98 percent, while Business Subjects recorded 32.50 percent.
✅ No examination question paper leakage was reported during the conduct of the 2026 GCE examinations.
✅ 389 individual cases and 15 whole-centre cases of suspected examination malpractice were recorded, involving copying, collusion and assistance.
✅ Results for candidates involved in suspected examination malpractice have been withheld pending determination by the appropriate Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) committee.
✅ Has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening examination security and systems to prevent malpractice and safeguard the credibility of national examinations.
✅ The 2026 GCE examination results are accessible through the SMS result notification system immediately following the release. Candidates will be able to access their statements of results online through the ECZ portal at no charge one week after the release, using their examination numbers.
✅ Congratulated successful candidates, while encouraging those who did not attain their desired grades to begin preparing early for their next opportunity.
✅ Teachers, schools, districts and provinces have been urged to adequately prepare Grade 7 and Grade 12 learners for the forthcoming end-of-year examinations.
MIM