Rumours swirling in local media of a grade 12 exam pass rate of 80 per cent – which would mark a massive year-to-year improvement – were neither confirmed nor denied by the Ministry of Education yesterday, though some grading tests reported low scores in certain subjects.

Minister Hang Chuon Naron said that while over half of graded exams have now been accounted for, he “could not make any estimation” on the pass rate until the process was complete.

But Khat Sothy, who graded 175 Khmer literature papers, estimated that 50 per cent passed, though none scored higher than D, a development he still regarded as positive.

“If we compare with last year, it is better,” he said.

After grading 125 biology papers, Nget Bunthet reported a pass rate of just 30 to 40 per cent, adding: “The knowledge of the candidates is still limited . . . they are not well-prepared.”

Kit Chantheng, meanwhile, said less than 30 per cent of the 175 maths exams he graded received a passing score.

In 2014, when strict monitoring of cheating was introduced, the pass rate was a disastrous 25 per cent. Results for 2015 will be announced on September 15 and 16.