Is Cambridge being banned in Zimbabwe?

No, according to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. From 2027 every school must register its learners for ZIMSEC examinations. Schools that want to offer Cambridge as well must apply to the Ministry for permission and show they can run both without hurting learners' ZIMSEC results.

My child is doing Cambridge now. Which exams will they write?

The Ministry has said that learners now in Form 3 and Lower 6 on the Cambridge route will sit ZIMSEC O Level and A Level examinations respectively in their final year. Ask your school how it is preparing them, and whether it has applied to keep offering Cambridge alongside.

Are ZIMSEC results accepted by universities abroad?

ZIMSEC says its qualifications are recognised internationally. Requirements differ from university to university, so check the admissions pages of the universities your child is aiming for, and ask whether they accept ZIMSEC A Levels directly.

Should I still choose a school because it offers Cambridge?

Look at the whole school first: teaching, results, how children are looked after, and the cost. Exam boards are changing, and a school's teachers and leadership will matter more than the board printed on the certificate.

ZIMSEC or Cambridge? What the 2027 change means for your child

Last checked 13 October 2026

For years, many parents chose a school partly on its exam board: ZIMSEC, Zimbabwe's national board, or Cambridge, the international one. In May 2026 the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education announced that from 2027 every school must enter its learners for ZIMSEC examinations. Here's what that means and what to ask your school.

What's changing in 2027

From 2027, all schools, including private schools, must register their learners for ZIMSEC examinations.
Cambridge isn't banned. A school that wants to offer it alongside ZIMSEC must apply to the Ministry and show it can run both without hurting learners' performance in the national exams.
Learners now in Form 3 and Lower 6 on the Cambridge route will sit ZIMSEC O Level and A Level, respectively, in their final year.

When we last checked, the Ministry hadn't published how schools apply to keep Cambridge or how those applications will be decided. Ask your school, and watch for Ministry announcements.

ZIMSEC and Cambridge in a nutshell

ZIMSEC (the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council) sets the national Grade 7, O Level and A Level exams. Cambridge International sets exams used in many countries, including IGCSE, O Level and AS and A Level. Both lead to O and A Level certificates that universities in Zimbabwe and abroad look at, but entry requirements differ by university, so check with the ones your child is aiming for. Cambridge entries have generally cost families much more per subject than ZIMSEC.

Questions to ask your school

Will my child sit ZIMSEC, Cambridge or both, and in which year?
Has the school applied to keep offering Cambridge? What happens if it isn't approved?
How are teachers preparing Cambridge learners for the ZIMSEC syllabus?
Will exam fees change, and who pays for a second set of exams?
Which subjects and combinations will still be offered at O and A Level?

Schools on SchoolReviews by exam board

Of the schools whose exam board we know, 95 list ZIMSEC and 91 list Cambridge, 35 of them both. Most profiles don't say yet, and these are what schools offered before the 2027 change. Browse Cambridge schools or ZIMSEC schools, and if your child's school has changed, you can update its profile.