Luxembourg's public schools reported a pass rate of 76% in final year ("Première") exams, according to the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth.
The results of the summer session 2021 of final year exams were slightly lower than the average for the previous ten years (78% between 2011 and 2020).
With a pass rate of 85%, the results of students in classical secondary education remained stable compared to previous years. However, results were down in general secondary education, with a pass rate of 69%.
Commenting on these results, Luxembourg's Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, said: “The Luxembourg school has been able to cope with the health crisis and most of the students have overcome the difficulties they have gone through between exclusion, quarantines, limitations on social contacts and restrictions on leisure activities. We have succeeded in maintaining all face-to-face lessons for first year classes". He added: "I thank the students for their efforts just as I thank the teachers who are committed to ensuring that the year 2020-2021 goes as smoothly as possible and that the students progress in an unprecedented and particularly complex situation".
A total of 3,344 students took the various secondary school leaving exams. The success rate fell from 83% in 2020 to 76% (i.e. 2,557 students) in 2021, with the rate of postponements standing at 14% (12% in 2020; 15% in 2019). The failure rate was 9% (5% in 2020; 7% in 2019). Note that the pass rate in 2019 was 78%.
Classical secondary schools performed especially well, obtaining a pass rate of 85% (89% in 2020; 84% in 2019). The postponement rate was 10% (7% in 2020; 12% in 2019) whilst the failure rate was 5% (4% in 2020 and 2019).
The pass rate in general secondary schools stood at 69% (77% in 2020: 73% in 2019). The postponement rate stood at 18% (17% in 2020 and 2019) whilst the failure rate was 13% (6% in 2020; 10% in 2019).
Female students continued to perform better than their male counterparts in classical secondary education (seven points difference in 2021; five points in 2020; six points in 2019). The pass rate was identical for girls and boys in general secondary education this year, althouth the former outperformed the latter in 2020 (by four points) and in 2019 (by five points).
The number of students who obtained an “excellent” grade (average equal to or greater than 52 points - out of a total of 60) rose from 166 in 2020 to 169 in 2021. 149 classical and 20 general secondary school students obtained this grade, compared to 139 and 27 respectively in 2020. In 2019, out of 114 “excellent” grades, 101 were obtained in classical secondary education and thirteen in general secondary education.
