Uganda’s A-Level grading system is expected to change by 2028 as the government completes reforms to the upper secondary curriculum.
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) and the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) are shifting the A-Level framework to create a competence-based system. This change aligns advanced secondary education with the lower secondary O-Level curriculum introduced earlier, removes outdated or redundant content, and shifts assessment from rote memorization to practical, problem-solving skills.
The Uganda National Examinations Board Executive Director, Dan Odongo, says the new changes will follow full transition of A-Level to a competence-based curriculum.
Uganda government changed the O-Level grading system in 2024, replacing the old distinctions, credits, passes and failures with letter grades.
Odongo says proposals have already been submitted to the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) Board and a circular will guide schools and other stakeholders once the changes are approved.
Odongo said the current A-Level curriculum and teaching methods have been adjusted to accommodate learners emerging from the competence-based O-Level system.
Under the proposed system, letter grades will remain, but each grade will carry a description of what a learner has demonstrated.
NCDC Secondary Department manager Gilbert Gift Siima said the current A, B, C, D, E, O and F grading scale will be reduced to A, B, C, D and E.
According to Odongo two Fine Art candidates could both receive an A, but their descriptors may show different levels of competence based on what each learner can demonstrate.
The examinations body will continue piloting the system and make adjustments until results from the first cohort under the aligned A-Level curriculum are released.
Under the current system, students usually take three principal subjects. Grades A to E are considered principal passes, while O is a subsidiary pass and F is failure..
Principal grades currently carry points ranging from six for an A to two for an E. Under the proposed arrangement, an A would carry five points and an E one point.
The system would also combine continuous assessment, contributing 20 per cent of the final score, with national examinations carrying 80 per cent.
The maximum score, including subsidiary subjects, would be 20 points.
Odongo said A-Level assessment has already started moving towards scenario-based questions.
Uneb has distributed sample questions to schools to familiarise teachers and learners with the type of tasks candidates will face.
