It Will Be Harder to Graduate from School - Government Agency Reminds of New Exam Rules 0 7

This year, changes are planned for the examination process for both basic school and high school students.

This year, there are two types of state assessment works. One of them is monitoring works, for which achieving a certain result is not required for them to be considered passed. However, they provide schools and the agency with information on what needs to be improved in the educational process.

The second type is centralized exams, where 9th-grade students must provide at least 15% correct answers for the exam to be considered passed. Last year, this threshold was lower - 10%, so it can be said that this year it will be harder to graduate from basic school.

High school students must score at least 20% correct answers to pass the exam.

Director of VIAA: The Minimum Threshold Must Be Achievable for Everyone

Every year, there are students who do not pass the exams or are dissatisfied with the expected results. The Director of the Agency, Inta Ozola, believes that everyone involved in the educational process should be able to score at least these 20%.

"State exams have always been a sensitive topic, and it is logical, as every young person is concerned about the results and their future path. Parents and teachers worry too, because everyone wants the best result. Therefore, thinking about supporting students, teachers, and parents, this year we have prepared a much wider range of assistance," noted Ozola. For example, one form of support will be video lectures.

Several Changes This Year

For 9th-grade students this year, unlike last year, there will only be two centralized exams, as instead of a foreign language exam, students will take a monitoring work. They will also have to take a monitoring or diagnostic work in natural sciences. The monitoring works will take place in April, and the first exam for 9th graders - in Latvian language - will be held on May 19. The second exam - in mathematics - is scheduled for a week later.

For high school students, in addition to the three mandatory exams at the optimal level - Latvian language, mathematics, and foreign language - a mandatory exam in one of the natural science subjects has been added. At the advanced level, only one subject must be passed. Of course, some students take more exams voluntarily, but this is not mandatory.

In the previous two years, high school students completed monitoring works in natural sciences and averaged 30-40% correct answers.

The exam in natural sciences is not mandatory for students of vocational educational institutions, as well as for those who have already taken the monitoring work last year.

Traditionally, the Most Failures Are in Mathematics

Usually, the highest number of failures occurs in the mathematics exam. Last year, their number decreased, which was explained not by the simplification of the exam, but by more understandable content. This year, the exam developers continued to work in the same direction, noted senior expert of the general education assessment works department, Liene Purgaile.

"This year we are working according to the same scenario as last year, as it proved to be successful," said Purgaile.

Thus, this year the exam questions should be well understood.

Certificates of passing the exams will be received by basic school graduates on June 26, and high school graduates on July 3.