The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has revealed the worst-performing subjects in 2025 UACE results, highlighting declines in several humanities and creative arts disciplines even as most science subjects improved. The analysis was released alongside the national results report in Kampala.
Overall performance remains strong. UNEB reports that 98.9 percent of candidates qualified for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), maintaining a high national completion rate.
Worst-Performing Subjects in 2025 UACE
According to UNEB’s analysis of the 2025 UACE results, the steepest drops occurred in Entrepreneurship Education, Christian Religious Education, Fine Art, and Physics.
Entrepreneurship Education recorded one of the sharpest declines. Only 1.5 percent of candidates achieved an A grade in 2025, down from 3.6 percent in 2024.
Christian Religious Education also slipped. Top grades fell from 6.3 percent last year to 4.3 percent in 2025.
Fine Art showed a similar pattern. The share of candidates earning A grades declined to 2.9 percent, compared with 4.4 percent in the previous year.
Physics stood out as the only major science subject to register a decline. A grades dropped from 6.6 percent in 2024 to 3.5 percent in 2025.
Meanwhile, examiners say Subsidiary Mathematics remains a persistent challenge, with many candidates failing the subject.
These results suggest that while science education is generally improving, some disciplines are struggling to maintain previous standards.
UNEB Points to “Application Gap” in Learning
UNEB officials believe the core issue lies in how students apply what they learn.
UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo said examiners noticed that many candidates could recall theoretical content but struggled to use it in practical or real-world contexts.
“The primary challenge across these subjects is a failure by learners to relate classroom knowledge to real-life situations,” Odongo said.
For example, examiners reported that Christian Religious Education candidates struggled to link biblical teachings to everyday social issues, which affected their marks in application-based questions.
In Geography, scripts showed weak data interpretation and analysis skills, especially when students were asked to relate fieldwork findings to the physical environment.
History candidates also lost marks because many essays lacked logical flow and analytical depth, which are required for high grades at the advanced level.
Science and Language Challenges Highlighted
Science subjects presented their own difficulties, particularly in practical learning.
UNEB examiners reported that Physics candidates struggled with experimental procedures and interpreting data, often due to limited practical exposure in laboratories.
Language issues also surfaced in local language examinations. The board found that many candidates lack strong grammar skills and struggle to translate passages clearly into English, which affects their performance.
These weaknesses point to broader challenges in teaching methods, assessment preparation, and classroom practice.
Candidate Numbers Continue to Rise
Despite the subject-level declines, the 2025 UACE examination cycle recorded a significant increase in participation.
UNEB reported a 17.2 percent rise in candidate numbers, reflecting growing access to advanced secondary education across Uganda.
In total, 113,291 students qualified for university degree programmes, maintaining a strong transition rate to higher education.
Education officials say the challenge now is not access, but improving the quality of learning and analytical skills among students.
What This Means for Students and Schools
UNEB says the latest UACE results analysis highlights a growing gap between theory and practical application in Uganda’s education system.
The board is encouraging schools to place more emphasis on critical thinking, real-world problem solving, and practical learning, especially in humanities, arts, and science subjects that require deeper analysis.
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