New KCSE Grading Structure
New KCSE Grading Structure

The new grading system favours KCSE candidates by reducing the number of compulsory subjects and focuses on those that candidates perform well in.

From 2023 onward, the KCSE candidates will be graded based on their performance in two compulsory subjects, that is, Mathematics and any language including English, Kiswahili, or Kenya Sign Language.

This is a complete contrast of the the old system in which students were graded based on seven subjects (English, Mathematics, Kiswahili, two sciences and two others; with one being a humanity or art based subject like: `Religious Education, History and Geography).

The Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) has done away with the previous system where five subjects were mandatory, a method expected to increase the number of candidates qualifying for their upper education.

“Even the entry grade for University Education, the numbers will increase because last year we had 173,000 Kenyans out of 887,000 getting C+ and above, that is university entry which is 19 per cent. Regionally, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, the percentage of people going to university is about 30 per cent,” Says the Education Ministry.

The old system was disadvantageous to some learners whose best subjects are not taken into account if they are not within the cluster.

“Previously, compulsory subjects included Mathematics, English Language, Kiswahili and two sciences. But this time round, we will only have two compulsory subjects, that is Mathematics and English Language, Kiswahili or Kenya Sign Language. We are doing this to allow learners to explore subjects they are good at,” the Ministry explained.