Record number of pupils to receive default grade of “10” in Moldova at Baccalaureate in 2026

A record number of 3,791 candidates taking the baccalaureate exam will receive a default grade of “10” in the foreign language exam at the 2026 session.

According to a decision approved by the National Examination Commission, 1,136 candidates will be awarded a default “10” in the informatics exam, compared to 397 candidates at the 2025 session. At the same time, for the first time in Moldova, 112 candidates will receive the maximum grade by default in the Romanian language and literature exam for non-native speakers.

According to the director of the National Agency for Curriculum and Assessment, Lilia Ivanov, the number of beneficiaries of this facility is the highest in the last ten years.

“The number of candidates who benefit from this facility this year is the highest in the last ten years. At last year’s baccalaureate session, the default grade of ‘10’ in the foreign language exam was granted to 3,138 candidates; at the 2024 session – to 2,594; at the 2023 session – to 2,192; in 2022 – to 1,596; in 2021 – to 1,299; and in 2020 – to 1,349,” said Lilia Ivanov.

The practice of awarding the maximum grade by default in the foreign language exam was introduced in 2015, when 229 pupils benefited from this measure based on international certificates attesting their language competencies.

Starting from the 2024 baccalaureate session, the default grade of “10” is also awarded to candidates who passed international exams certifying IT competencies in grades 10–12. While 61 candidates benefited from this measure at the 2024 session, their number increased to 397 in 2025 and reached 1,136 in 2026.

Also, starting with this year’s session, the maximum default grade can also be awarded in the Romanian language and literature exam for non-native speakers, for candidates who hold a B2-level language competence certificate, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

The 2026 baccalaureate session will start on June 2.