The results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams for 2025 have sparked concern and debate across Bangladesh. Not only has the number of GPA-5 achievers plunged, but the overall pass rate has also dropped significantly — and at different rates across various education boards.
📉 Overall Snapshot
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Total students who passed (all boards combined): 726,960
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Overall national pass rate: 58.83 % — a steep fall from 77.78 % in 2024
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Number of students with GPA-5: 69,097, compared to 145,911 in 2024 — a drop of 76,814 top graders
🏫 Board-wise Pass Rates (General Education Boards, 2025)
Below is a breakdown of the pass rates by major general education boards (for HSC / equivalent) for 2025:
| Education Board | Pass Rate (2025) | Notes / Comparisons |
|---|---|---|
| Dhaka | 64.62 % | Highest pass rate among the general boards |
| Comilla | 48.86 % | Lowest among the boards |
| Rajshahi | 59.40 % | Mid-tier performance |
| Jessore | 50.20 % | Just over half passed |
| Chittagong | 52.57 % | Slightly above half passed |
| Barisal | 62.57 % | Relatively strong among the mid-boards |
| Sylhet | 51.86 % | Just over half passed |
| Dinajpur | 57.49 % | Close to the national average |
| Mymensingh | 51.54 % | Among the lower pairs |
Note: These figures reflect the general education boards’ performance (i.e. “normal” HSC), not necessarily including Technical or Madrasa equivalents.
From these, Dhaka Board leads in pass rate, while Comilla Board lags behind the most.
🧭 Why such a drastic decline? Some Observations
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The 2025 pass rate (58.83 %) represents a drop of 18.95 percentage points from 2024’s 77.78 %.
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Many board officials and education experts attribute the decline to stricter evaluation, reduced over-marking, and higher standards in grading.
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In Chittagong board, for example, female students performed better (55.49%) vs males (48.95%) in 2025.
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The sharp fall in GPA-5 achievers suggests that the highest grades are now harder to attain under the newer, more rigorous assessment regime.
✍️ Suggested Revised Post (Long Form with Board-wise Data)
HSC & Equivalent Results 2025: A Closer Look at Board-Wise Pass Rates and GPA-5 Trends
The 2025 HSC and equivalent exam results have sent ripples through the education landscape of Bangladesh. While 69,097 students claimed the top GPA-5 grade this year, the record from 2024 — 145,911 GPA-5 achievers — reveals just how steep the fall has been. That’s a decline of 76,814 top performers.
Equally alarming is the drop in the overall pass rate, which has plummeted to 58.83 % from 77.78 % last year — a fall of nearly 19 percentage points.
📊 How Did the Boards Fare?
Among the general education boards, Dhaka Board stood out with the highest pass rate at 64.62 %, while Comilla Board recorded the lowest at 48.86 %. Other boards ranged in between: Rajshahi (59.40 %), Barisal (62.57 %), Chittagong (52.57 %), Jessore (50.20 %), Sylhet (51.86 %), Dinajpur (57.49 %), and Mymensingh (51.54 %).
These variations reflect stark differences in student performance, examiner standards, institutional support, and perhaps even regional challenges.
🔍 What’s Behind the Drop?
Several key factors appear to have driven this downturn:
Tighter evaluation standards and reduced leniency in marking
Greater emphasis on concept mastery, not rote learning
Less over-marking, meaning fewer inflated scores
Gender performance gaps (e.g. in some boards, girls outperformed boys)
The decline in top-grade achievers (GPA-5) is especially notable. It suggests that achieving excellence under the new grading paradigm is tougher, and only truly outstanding performance is being rewarded at the highest level.
As students and stakeholders process these results, many are calling for renewed focus on quality teaching, examination transparency, and support systems — so that while standards remain high, student potential isn’t unfairly capped.
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