Uganda’s A-Level grading system is expected to change once the ongoing curriculum reform is completed in 2028, bringing Senior Six assessment closer to the competence-based approach already introduced at O-Level.
The planned changes will affect how learners’ performance is assessed and how their final grades are interpreted. Instead of focusing mainly on the letter a candidate receives, the new system will place greater emphasis on what the learner can actually demonstrate.
The reform comes after Uganda changed the O-Level assessment system in 2024, replacing the previous grading structure of numerical distinctions, credits, passes and failures with a letter-based system.
But why is A-Level only changing now?
Why is A-Level grading changing?
According to UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo, A-Level has not yet undergone the full curriculum reform that introduced competence-based learning at O-Level.
Although schools have already adjusted their teaching and assessment approaches to accommodate learners who completed the new O-Level curriculum, the A-Level curriculum itself is still being reformed.
Odongo said proposals for the new system have already been presented to the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) board. Once the reforms are approved and finalised, a circular will be issued to schools and other stakeholders explaining how the new system will work.
For now, the existing A-Level grading system remains in place.
What will change?
The biggest change will be the meaning attached to each grade.
The new system is expected to retain letter grades, but each grade will come with a descriptor explaining the level of achievement demonstrated by the learner.
Under the proposed structure, the grades will be reduced to A, B, C, D and E, with the descriptors providing more information about what a candidate knows, understands or can do.
Gilbert Gift Siima, Manager of the Secondary Department at NCDC, explained that two learners could receive the same grade in a subject but demonstrate different levels of competence.
For example, two candidates could both receive an A in Fine Art, but the descriptors attached to their grades could show differences in the skills and competencies they demonstrated.
This means the letter alone will no longer tell the complete story of a candidate’s performance.
What happens to O and F?
Under the proposed system, the current O and F grades are expected to be removed from the main grading scale.
The new scale will run from A to E, with each grade linked to a specific descriptor.
However, the exact method of determining the final grades is still being developed.
Siima said UNEB is currently piloting and testing different aspects of the system and will continue making adjustments before the new approach is fully implemented.
How will continuous assessment affect the final result?
Another major change will be the increased role of school-based assessment.
Under the proposed system, continuous assessment will contribute 20 per cent of a learner’s final result, while the national examination will account for the remaining 80 per cent.
This means a candidate’s performance throughout the learning cycle will become an important part of the final assessment, rather than relying almost entirely on the final examination.
UNEB and NCDC are still working on the precise procedures that will be used to combine the two components.
How will the points system change?
The current A-Level system awards points to grades in principal subjects, with an A carrying six points and grades descending to E with two points.
The proposed system will change this arrangement.
Under the new scale, an A will carry five points, followed by B, C and D, with E carrying one point.
The new structure will also take into account the contribution from continuous assessment and national examinations.
The maximum total will be 20 points, including subsidiary subjects.
What happens to General Paper and subsidiary subjects?
Students currently take three principal subjects, alongside subsidiary subjects such as General Paper and either Subsidiary Mathematics or ICT.
At present, principal subjects are graded from A to E as passes, while O is considered a subsidiary pass and F a fail.
Subsidiary subjects are assessed using a different grading arrangement, where distinctions and credits contribute points, while lower passes and failures do not.
The proposed reforms are expected to bring the assessment structure into greater alignment with the competence-based approach, although the precise treatment of subsidiary subjects is still being worked out.
When will the new system take effect?
The changes are expected to come into effect after the A-Level curriculum reform is completed, which is projected for 2028.
This means candidates sitting A-Level examinations under the current curriculum will largely continue to be assessed using the existing system.
The transition will be guided by further testing and piloting by UNEB, with the final arrangements expected to be refined based on the performance and assessment of the first cohort to complete the aligned A-Level curriculum.
In simple terms, Uganda is moving towards an A-Level system where the grade a learner receives will be accompanied by a clear explanation of what that learner has achieved.
The aim is to make assessment more focused on competencies and abilities rather than simply the letter or number attached to a candidate’s result.
