Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
IF you sat your Zimsec O-Level examinations last year and got grade D or worse in a particular subject — the truth is you have failed, although not so much.

This clarification came from Zimsec yesterday after it had appeared to suggest, in a media release on its website on Tuesday, that grade E was also a “pass”.

Zimsec says nothing has changed in its grading system as both grades D and E are regarded as passes for certificate grading purposes.

The exams body said traditionally, both grades appear on their certificates, while U (ungraded) for O-Level and F in A-Level are not shown on certificates.

The clarification came after uncertainty following the statement by Zimsec on Tuesday.

“This year, for the first time, we would like to highlight the percentage pass rate of all candidates who have attained a grade E or better. At this level, candidates who obtain a grade E in a subject are considered to have passed and are given a certificate grade,” the statement said. “Candidates who obtain grade C in a subject are considered to have passed the subject with a credit.”

That statement caused confusion as traditionally D and E had always been regarded as a fail, although they appear on certificates. It triggered questions whether colleges and employers who normally recruit candidates with grade C or better would now relax these requirements to also embrace those who “pass” with a D or E.

Zimsec public relations manager Nicollete Dhlamini explained yesterday: “Nothing has changed in the grading system, we were just highlighting the percentage pass rate of people with Grade E or better.

It’s just a certificate grade not a qualifying grade.

“We don’t determine whether an institution takes someone with five O-Levels at grade C or better, that’s not our determination. It’s not our mandate to dictate anything to anyone, ours is just to assess.

“We were just highlighting that according to our certificate grading, D and E are regarded as passes.”

Zimsec, breaking from tradition, gave a classification of candidates for the November 2015 O-Level exams who “passed five or more subjects with Grade E or better”. The overall passrate was 50,79 percent, which dropped to 27,86 percent when only candidates who passed with grade C or better were considered.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora said he was going to issue a statement on the matter.

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