Polish schools’ huge success in the matura exam. More 100s than in previous years. 

Yesterday, the National Agency of Education published the results of the main session of the state matura exam. The headteachers of Polish institutions are delighted to see students receiving more points and that the number of 100s has risen.

The headteacher of the Vilnius district Konstant Parčevskis Gymnasium in Nemenčina – Tadeusz Grygorowicz informs that this year, the matura exams results are better than previous years. “Students performed much better, especially in Maths, English and Russian. Together with the students from Buivydžiai, we had 52 seniors”, he says in an interview with LRT.lt.

The gymnasium celebrates many 100s. As many as ten high school graduates achieved the highest score, which is something the institution has never been able to accomplish before. Before, the gymnasium could boast 5-6 100’s. All of these results are from a Russian language exam.

The institution can also boast other high results – 97 pts in English, as well as 89 and 87 pts in Lithuanian. “The Lithuanian language (exam) turned out better, as the average performance was over 8 points higher than in 2022. The students, after completing the exam, claimed it was not overly complicated. Some students are more skilled, and some have more difficulty. Altogether, this time only one person achieved the minimum threshold – 16 out of 100 points”, explains the headteacher.

In the Konstant Parčevskis Gymnasium in Nemenčina however, 27 students took the Maths exam and all passed it. “Even if last year there were a few students who did not pass, this time the results were not bad at all. Our students received 79 and 76 points. Only one person received 16 out of the possible 100 points. They all performed according to the skills they had acquired”, explains Grygorowicz.

The Polish language exam was easier to take than the previous year. This year, the school received an average score of 0,44 points higher. The average score was 7,7.

“As teachers, we wanted the scores to be even higher. However, we can’t complain, and I believe our students are satisfied with the results as well. Generally, in the whole country, the results are better, therefore it is possible that the test questions were simply more complicated than last year. Statistics on the number of graduates who failed the MAtura exam raise doubts that something was wrong with the questions”, states Grygorowicz.

This year, the Henrikas Senkevičius Gymnasium in Lentvaris graduated its 30th jubilee graduates. It was made up of 15 students. All of them took a number of state and school exams.

The school’s headteacher Ewelina Sołowjowa did not hide her delight with the students’ scores. They received i.a. 100 and 98 points in Russian, 88 pts in English and 86 pts in Lithuanian. “In this school year, students took more exams and received higher scores compared to 2022. This includes Maths and History exams. All students passed Maths and improved the level from sufficient to basic. The highest Maths score was 65 pts.”, informs the headteacher.

Sołowjowa assesses that the native language exam – Polish – was also highly successful. 30% of the students received a 9-10 score and 70% – 6-8. “It is worth mentioning that the 11 grade students did very well in the Polish language stage test, which was held for the first time this year. Most of them received over 32 out of the possible 40 points”, states the pedagogue.

“We are aware that there is no limit to perfection and the school will strive for increasingly better conditions so that students’ scores be even better. The institution participates actively in state projects. This year we completed the project “Basket of Quality” („Kokybės krepšelis“) and in September we are starting with Millenial Schools which highlight STEAM education.”, summons Sołowjowa.

The headteacher of the John Paul II Gymnasium in Vilnius Adam Błaszkiewicz is also delighted with the results.

“Without a doubt, the Lithuanian language exam means many sleepless nights for many seniors. Our students sometimes rush too bravely into choosing a state exam in this subject instead of a school one. This year 97 per cent of our graduates decided on the state one. A total of 89 per cent passed the test. We had a slip-up with only 10 out of 92 students, so the result is pretty good. It is worth mentioning that this year there was a ‘100’ in Lithuanian. Notably, there were only 6 100s in this subject in non-Lithuanian schools. We are also delighted to see that the scoring average was 51 points, whereas the all-Lithuanian index is 46 points. We, therefore, look superior compared to Lithuanian schools. What excites me most is that 20 per cent of students scored 86-100 points, which is the highest tier. This means that every fifth graduate receives a top-of-the-line score”, boasts the headteacher.

“Speaking of 100s, traditionally received in Russian, the mentioned Lithuanian, but they are in English and IT as well. One of our students received 2 100s. We are now waiting for the results of the retake session as there might be another person with that score. Our gymnasium’s 27th graduation was a success. If we compare the number of students in the highest tier, this year’s graduation was better than last year’s. In the end, this year there were 34 100s, and last year – only 12”, calculates Błaszkiewicz.

The pedagogue admits that he would like students to choose sciences and natural sciences more decidedly. There is less interest in i.a. Chemistry – it was chosen by 10 students. “This small number of participants does not seem sufficient to me. The scoring average was 53,1 points. This year I am not overly satisfied with this subject, but at least no one failed it. The highest score was 95 points. There were 9 graduates who took IT, five of which were in the highest tier, there was a 100, and the average was almost 78 points. 6 students took physics. That means that those who choose to take science exams achieve pretty high scores. Even though we don’t have 100s in Physics or Chemistry, we have 94 and 96 points. It is clear that students sometimes have a hard time getting through the command text and that is why a 100 is so difficult to achieve. Still scores over 86 points help significantly in the recitation processes to universities”, advises the headteacher.

This year the Gymnasium is satisfied with Maths, as only one person has not passed it. Of 95 seniors, 78 took the test. “In comparison to the all-Lithuanian results we are in a good position – 15% of them were in the highest tier. The scoring average was 52,36 points, whereas in Lithuania it was 33 points. A high scoring average was also recorded in History – 66,8 points. 22 graduates took it and many received 90 or more points. History is pretty popular. One-fifth of graduates take it”, says Błaszkiewicz.

This was the last year with a school Polish exam. As always, the students performed well – but I’m curious how next year will go. Over 54 per cent of all students revived scores in the 9-10 tier. The bottom line is – whoever puts in the effort to learn has something to be happy about. Some just run out of luck as they scored up to 99 points.” sums up the headteacher of the John Paul II Gymnasium in Vilnius.