Senior Four candidates start final national examinations
The candidates have this morning started with geography paper one and biology paper one (theory) in the afternoon, which will run for two hours and 25 minutes and two hours and 30 minutes, respectively.
The candidates will be assessed by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) under the new lower secondary school curriculum. (File Photo)
KAMPALA - A total of 432,159 candidates from 4,308 centres will commence the writing of the Uganda Certificate in Education (UCE) examinations today, October 13, 2025.
The candidates have this morning started with geography paper one and biology paper one (theory) in the afternoon, which will run for two hours and 25 minutes and two hours and 30 minutes, respectively.
Tomorrow, the candidates will write physics paper one lasting two hours and 30 minutes and rest in the afternoon before embarking on mathematics paper one and chemistry paper one on Wednesday.
The candidates will be assessed by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) under the new lower secondary school curriculum.
This is the second cohort to sit under the revised O’level curriculum.
According to UNEB data, Uganda registered a 12.6% increase in the number of UCE candidates this year compared to last year. Of the total, 47.3% are girls. In addition, a total of 154,637, representing 35.7% of the total number of UCE candidates, are beneficiaries of the Universal Secondary Education programme.
UNEB on preparation
Speaking to New Vision, UNEB spokesperson Jennifer Kalule Musamba said all the needed examination materials have been delivered to the respective local governments.
“We started the dispatch exercise on Saturday with the furthest districts, and by Sunday afternoon, we delivered to the last district,” she said.
Kalule added: “Our team of invigilators, scouts and supervisors is ready for the job.”
Rainy season
In light of the rainy season, she asked the heads of the various examination centres to ensure that the materials are delivered on time and safely.
According to the UNEB guidelines, the chief invigilator must begin the morning session at 9:00am and the afternoon session at 2:00pm.
Candidates with special needs will be allowed an extra 45 minutes. In addition, candidates are required to be at the examination hall at least 30 minutes before the start of the examination, ready to be identified and checked.
Those who will come more than 15 minutes late to the start of an examination will not be allowed to sit the examination.