It’s results day: Over 9,000 students receive MATSEC results today

Over 9,000 candidates received their exam results on Tuesday as MATSEC rolls out a reformed system aimed at holistic evaluation and inclusivity.

Around 3,760 students received their Matriculation Certificate results, while approximately 5,250 candidates obtained their Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) results.

This year’s session introduced new subjects at SEC level, including Chinese, Dance, Theatre, and Maltese as a Foreign Language.

Another major change was the rollout of a new assessment model, which gives weight to both a final examination and School-Based Assessments (SBA), the latter making up 30% of the final grade. These SBAs reflect students' ongoing performance over their final two years of secondary education, using diverse methods such as projects, oral presentations, and classroom tests.

In addition, candidates could now choose between two examination levels: Level 2–3 (as in previous years) or the newly introduced Level 1–2, which aims to certify foundational knowledge. Results are classified by performance bands, with Level 3 remaining the benchmark for post-secondary progression, while Levels 1 and 2 provide alternative routes into further education.

The new model also allows some flexibility: students who may not have performed well in the written exam can still reach Level 3 if their SBA scores are high enough to compensate.

Preliminary data from this session indicates that the reform has had a positive impact on student performance. Core subjects such as Maltese, Ethics, Geography, French, German, and Italian recorded an increase in the number of students attaining a Level 3 SEC qualification, while results in Mathematics and English remained stable compared to previous years.

Education Minister Clifton Grima praised the students for their efforts and expressed optimism about the direction of the national exam system.

He said these changes represent a significant step toward a more comprehensive assessment system that provides a clearer picture not only of skills but also of students' learning progress.

Grima also highlighted the availability of revision classes for students wishing to improve their grades, noting the success of this support scheme in recent years, particularly in the September resit sessions.