The year 2004 coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Secondary Education Certificate examinations in the present format. These examinations which have increased to 32 different subjects currently cater for around 8000 candidates each year.

This report follows the same structure as in previous years and presents comprehensive statistical data about various aspects of the examination, including administration, registrations and results. This year it also includes some additional data which should be of interest to a wide range of readers. The report pays special attention to the statistics of the cohort of candidates born in 1988, who were 16 years old in 2004 and had completed eleven years of compulsory schooling.

By means of this report it is possible for policy makers, educational officials, researchers, school administrators, teachers, parents and students to elicit useful information about the achievement of various groups and more generally about the system of secondary education itself.

Matriculation Certificate Examination Report

Since the launch in 1997, the candidature for the Matriculation Certificate examination has always been on the increase. In 2004, there were 2233 candidates, an increase of 7.5% over the previous year and 70.6% more than in 1997. Currently, candidates are offered a choice of subjects consisting of 30 at Advanced level an 31 at Intermediate level. Besides serving as the entrance examination to the University of Malta, the system also offers the opportunity to candidates who do not wish to join the university to take examinations in single subjects at Advanced level. In 2004, there were 1178 candidates sitting for single subjects.

This publication offers statistical data that cover many aspects of the examination. After a brief account of the administration involved, the report provides comprehensive information about registrations and results. Interesting results emerge about the popularity of subjects, the distribution of candidates by age and locality, grade distributions, percentage passes and gender differences. Comparison with data of previous sessions is also made to identify trends. Attention is given to the statistics of the 1986 cohort, which constituted 75.5% of the candidature for the Matriculation Certificate examination in 2004. By focusing on this group, it was possible to gauge the proportion of 18-year-olds who succeeded in obtaining university entrance qualifications after thirteen years of schooling. This benchmark has implications for the economic and social development of our country.

Copies of the above reports are available from the MATSEC Support Unit. Requests are to be addressed to Dr Grace Grima, Principal Research and Development Officer, MATSEC Support Unit, University of Malta.
Tel: 2340 2814; Fax: 21314324; email: grace.grima@um.edu.mt