Sittwe: Twenty high school students in Arakan State passed the 2009 - 2010 matriculation examinations held in March with distinction, or ‘Gold Marks.’

The results were announced by the Burma Examination Board on 13 June, 2010.

Six students are from State High School No. 2 and 4 in the capital Sittwe, and six students are from High School No. 1 and High School No. 2 in Thandwe in southern Arakan. Two of the students are from the towns of Ponna Kyunt and Kyauk Taw.

In Burma, students at the matriculation level study six subjects - Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, English, and Biology or Economics. In each subject, the examinations include questions totaling 100 points. If a student can score over 80 per cent in all six subjects, they are given a mark of distinction.

According to a student source, 25 students in Arakan received marks of distinction in five subjects.

In the 2008 - 2009 academic year there were 20 students in the state who passed the matriculation examination with distinction.

In Burma's educational system, students who pass the matriculation exams with Gold Marks can enter professional colleges or universities, such as technology or medicine, excluding the military college.

Although the number of students who passed the examinations with distinction increased, the total number of students who passed decreased this year.