ATLANTA (AP) -- The state department of education has announced high school students are performing slightly better on a statewide writing exam.

In 2012, 93 percent of high school students passed the Georgia State Writing Test compared with 91 percent in 2011.

Officials say 88 percent of high school students passed the exam when it was first administered in 2007.

Education officials say the achievement gap between white, black, Hispanic and special education students has also narrowed.

The two-hour persuasive writing exam is administered three times a year.

Students begin taking the exam in their junior year, and must pass the test by the end of their senior year to receive their diploma.