One in every five students sitting for an exam in a core O-level subject failed their exam, while just under a third received one of the top three grades, results published by MATSEC on Tuesday reveal.
Both figures are in line with results over the past several years.
In practice, this means that a little over 2,600 students who sat for their O-level exam in either Mathematics, English language or Maltese received a U grade, effectively meaning they failed the exam.
This rises to over 3,300 (or 26%) when factoring in students who received a grade of 7 which, although officially considered a pass mark, is frequently insufficient for students to further their education.
In total, there were just over 13,100 exams carried out in one of these three subjects this exam season.
Some 600 people (or 5%) received the highest possible grade (1), while a little under half, or 5,500 students, received a grade between a 2 and a 4.
More broadly, the number of O-level students saw a bump this year, with almost 39,000 exams carried out across the 43 subjects on offer, up from 36,000 in 2023.
Aside from the three core subjects, physics and English literature and religion were particularly popular subjects, with around 3,000 students sitting for each.
Other subjects were less in demand. Only two students registered to sit for each of Greek and Latin with one student. In each case, one of the two students didn’t turn up for the exam.
Other subjects, from music to commerce, agribusiness and Russian also saw fewer than 100 students sit for the exam.
More A-level students, results unchanged
The number of A-level exams carried out rose above the 5,000 mark again this year, after dipping slightly to under 4,900 last year, but remains lower than the peak of over 5,500 in 2021.
Of these, a little over 700, or 14%, received an F, with almost a quarter taking home an A or B grade. The bulk of students, just over half, found themselves sitting between a C and an E grade, the lowest possible pass mark.
These results followed a similar pattern traced in previous years.
Some subjects proved to be particularly tricky. Over one in five who sat for an A-level in advanced maths may felt a pang of regret at choosing the subject, finding that they had failed the subject on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, over 130 students failed their English A-level, ten times as many as the 13 students who received an A grade.
Meanwhile, a third of the almost 7,500 students who sat for an intermediate exam either failed the exam or didn’t turn up for the exam at all.
Abstention rates across most exams have tended to stabilise in recent years after soaring in 2020, when Covid-19 lockdowns wreaked havoc with students’ schedules.