Country or Region | United Republic of Tanzania |
Year | 2013 |
Producer(s) | Zanzibar Examination Council - Government |
Metadata | Download the documentation |
Created on
Sep 10, 2015
Last modified
Sep 10, 2015
Overview
Identification
Summary
The Zanzibar National Secondary Examination has been administered annually since 1992 by the Zanzibar Examination Council to grade 9 (ISCED 2) students in general education programmes in public and private schools. Zanzibar being an autonomous region of the United Republic of Tanzania, it has its own education institutions and administers examinations distinct from those of mainland Tanzania. To be eligible to sit the Zanzibar National Secondary Examination, a student must have completed the National Primary Examination and two years of secondary education, and have at least a school attendance rate of 75% during the year.
The Zanzibar National Secondary Examination is a high-stake and mandatory examination that certifies completion of lower secondary general education programmes. It is a requirement for students wishing to pursue an upper secondary education (ISCED 3), in either general or vocational education programmes.
The Zanzibar National Secondary Examination is a written examination, administered face-to-face and delivered through paper-pencil tests. All test-takers are presented with the same cognitive booklets or tests, which are aligned with the national curriculum.
The Zanzibar National Secondary Examination serves the following purposes:
- student certification for completion of lower secondary general education programmes
- student selection to higher education programmes or admission into specific courses or tracks
- promoting competition among schools
- monitoring education quality levels
The Zanzibar National Secondary Examination accommodates visually impaired students by providing test materials in braille and separate examination rooms with specialist invigilators.
Census (all students at the given grades or ages)
Results are reported at the student, school, sub-national and national levels. Data are disaggregated by geographic location (urban and rural).
Examination results are published in reports that are available in print. The results are also broadcasted on the radio and the achievements of the best students are published in the media.
Scope
The Zanzibar National Secondary Examination comprises 10 mandatory subjects administered in English, except for the Arabic and Swahili tests. The Islamic Religion and Civics test has two parts: the Islamic Religion part is administered in Swahili, and the Civics part is administered in English. These subjects are listed below:- Arabic language
- Biology
- Chemistry
- English language
- Geography
- History
- Islamic Religion and Civics
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Swahili language
Each subject has a duration of 150 minutes, except for the Mathematics test which has a duration of 180 minutes, and equally contributes to the final score. The continuous school-based assessment contributes 30% of the final score.
Description of test items: Test items consist of multiple choice questions with three or more response options, open-ended questions requiring short constructed responses and essay writing.
Description of stimuli: Test stimuli consist of continuous, non-continuous and mixed texts.
Reporting metrics: Student performance is reported by an average score. The minimum requirement to meet the national standard is a score of 30 out of 100, or 30%. The average score also relates to a grade scale defined as follows:
Grade A, 75 to 100 points, Excellent
Grade B+, 60 - 74, Very good
Grade B, 50-59, Good
Grade C, 40-49, Satisfactory
Grade D, 30-39, Pass
Grade E, 20-29, Fail
Grade F, 0-19, Completely fail
Coverage
NationalStudents enrolled in grade 9 (ISCED 2) in general education programmes in public and private schools.
Producers and Sponsors
Name | Affiliation |
---|---|
Zanzibar Examination Council | Government |
Name | Affiliation | Role |
---|---|---|
Zanzibar Examination Council | Test development and administration; data processing; programme development | |
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training | Data dissemination; financial support |
Metadata Production
Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
---|---|---|---|
Zanzibar Examination Council | ZEC | Government | Data collection |
UNESCO Institute for Statistics | UIS | United Nations | Questionnaire design, metadata collection, review and publication |