Nearly 82% of students in Zimbabwe have failed their basic school leavers' exams, the Ordinary Level.
Education minister David Coltart told the BBC this was an improvement on 2009, when only 14% passed.
He acknowledged there is still a lot of work to be done.
Correspondents say the results reflect the political and economic decline the country has witnessed over the past decade.
Zimbabwe used to have one of the best education systems in Africa.
"I'm afraid that this was inevitable,'' Mr Coltart said. "If you don't have teachers, if you don't have textbooks, ultimately literacy and numeracy proficiency drops, and that is eventually reflected in examination results."
