THE EXTERNAL part of Slovakia’s 2012 school-leaving exam was taken by 59,465 students from 754 secondary schools, including 1,081 disabled students.
Students were tested in their first language (Slovak, Hungarian or Ukrainian), foreign languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Russian and Italian) and voluntarily in mathematics.
The average result for those completing the test in the Slovak language was 59.1 percent. At grammar schools the average result was 70.7 percent while it was 53.5 percent at vocational schools and conservatories. The average for students at state-run schools was 59.1 percent, for those studying at private schools it was 54.2 percent and for those attending religious schools it was 65.4 percent.
This year was the first in which grammar school students had to pick a higher level of difficulty (B2) for their foreign language while their counterparts studying at other types of schools could choose an easier level (B1).
Students who picked the B2 level in English scored 55.4 percent on average, while those who chose the B1 level scored 48.4 percent on average. Students from state-run schools averaged 55.5 percent at B2 level and 48.7 percent at B1 level, while students from private schools scored 54.7 percent at B2 level and 47.3 percent at B1 level. Students at religious schools had an average of 54.7 percent at B2 level and 41.8 percent at B1 level.
The average result of those who picked German as their foreign language was 44.7 percent at B2 level and 42.9 percent at B1 level. Students from state-run schools scored an average of 46.6 percent at B2 level and 42.8 percent at B1 level while students from private schools achieved 32.9 percent at B2 level and 44 percent at B1 level.
Those at religious schools scored 40.3 percent at B2 level and 41.5 percent at B1 level.
The test in mathematics was taken by only 8,753 students, only 14.7 percent of the total. The average result was 50.8 percent, with 57.6 percent among grammar school students and 38.8 percent in vocational schools. Students at state-run schools scored an average of 50.6 percent, private schools had 49.7 percent and religious schools 53.2 percent.
Source: NÚCEM
