The first results of the matriculation exams are already available

The National Education Agency (NŠA) presented the first results of the state matriculation exams: Lithuanian language and literature, mathematics, foreign language (German and French), geography and biology.

“The percentage of students who placed at the highest level of 86-100 points is higher this year” – Adam Blaszkiewicz, headmaster of St John Paul II Secondary School in Vilnius, assesses the results of his students.

Results from Lithuanian slightly better

Every year, many emotions are stirred up by the results of the matriculation exam, which is the state obligatory exam in Lithuanian language and literature. All secondary school graduates without exception take this exam, as a grade from this subject and additionally from any other subject is necessary to obtain a matriculation certificate. Students of national minority schools learn Lithuanian according to a curriculum identical to the one for Lithuanian schools, which puts them at a disadvantage.  Nevertheless, they are doing well.

This year, a total of 16,948 candidates took the state matriculation exam in Lithuanian language and literature. 92.8 percent passed the exam and hundreds were awarded to 342 candidates, representing 2 percent of those taking the exam. Last year, the number of those who passed the exam was slightly lower (92 percent), but slightly more received the highest mark (2.2 percent).

– Only 50 students from non-Lithuanian schools (with Polish, Russian, Belarusian language of instruction) reached the highest level of results in the range of 86-100.  Of these 50 people, 18 students are from St John Paul II Secondary School, which means that every fifth student of our school has reached the highest level.  It should also be noted that out of 95 graduates of our school, 92 decided to take the state exam in the Lithuanian language — headmaster Adam Błaszkiewicz is glad, commenting on the results from the Lithuanian language.

At the Lithuanian matriculation exam, students write an essay on one of the given topics. This year, the majority decided to think about the topic “What does a person’s self-esteem depend on?” – it was chosen by 10,746 students. The second topic willingly chosen was “The representation of women in literary works”. It was undertaken by 4,300 candidates. 1,044 candidates chose to write a dissertation on the topic “Does agricultural culture matter to modern man?”, and the literary essay topic “Aspirations for the improvement of society in literature” attracted the attention of 758 candidates.

The number of candidates who failed the exam this year is lower than last year: 7.2 percent  of candidates failed the exam; in 2022. – 8 percent.

The threshold for passing the exam in Lithuanian language and literature is 30 points out of 100 possible.  The average score of the exam is 56.3 points (last year – 55.9).

Candidates who have not passed the state matriculation exam in Lithuanian language and literature will take the school matriculation exam in the repeat session on July 13.

Significantly better results in mathematics

Out of the 95 graduates of this year’s St John Paul II Secondary School in Vilnius, 80 students took the matriculation exam in mathematics.  This is a very high percentage of examinees – students also take the subject because the result of the state exam in mathematics is required for entry into higher education in Lithuania.

– The exam in mathematics was taken by all those who decided to take it.  One person did not pass – reports Adam Błaszkiewicz. — I would say that this result is much better than last year. It is a little sad that we do not have ‘hundreds’ in mathematics, although the grades in the range of 86-100 are at the level of 15 percent. Some people were a bit unlucky because they got 98, 96 or 92, which is also a very good result.

This year, he adds, students were given the opportunity to try their maths on a mock exam, which helped them prepare for the state exam.

A total of 14,334 candidates took the state matriculation exam in mathematics in Lithuania, 150 less than in the previous year. 84.6 percent of those taking the exam passed, which is a much better result compared to the last year, when one in three students did not take the exam (64.6 percent passed in 2022, 84.8 percent in 2021). A score of one hundred was obtained by 179 candidates, which represents 1.2 percent of the total candidates who took the exam (in 2022 – 0.8 percent).

A score of 56-60 was required to achieve the highest mark in this year’s exam. The threshold for passing the exam in mathematics was 10 points out of a possible 60.  The average score for the exam is 23.9 points (2022 – 16.3, 2021 – 21.9).

More than 2,000 candidates, or 15.4 percent, failed the exam (in 2022 – 35.4 percent, in 2021 – 15.2 percent).

752 graduates took the Polish language exam

This year, a similar number of students opted to take the Polish as their mother tongue exam as last year – 752 (with 751 graduates in 2022). The school’s native language exam consisted of comprehension and text creation tasks.

– The results from the school’s Polish language exam are also good. All students passed it – Adam Błaszkiewicz reports.

All graduates in Lithuania passed the exams in foreign languages, French (15 candidates) and German (28).

This year, more candidates took exams in geography and biology.

98.6 percent of candidates passed the geography exam (2022 – 99.2 percent). 97.8 percent of students passed the state exam in biology (2022 – 96.3 percent).