Grade inflation at schools

One in four pupils achieved a grade of excellent (more than 18 out of 20) on their school-leaving certificate last year, a significant increase from the previous academic year which, however, authorities attribute to a drop in the number of examinations they had to sit.

According to Education Ministry data, 181,790 pupils out of 680,000 scored an average of 18 or more in their school-leaving exams. That marked a 15 percent increase from the previous academic year, when 158,500 pupils got their papers graded excellent.

However, the ministry attributed the increase to a reduction in the number of topics on which pupils are examined.