In the wake of the imminent release of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) scheduled for Friday, January 9, it is important for students to understand how the grading system works based on subject combination.
The KCSE mean grade is calculated using a candidate’s best seven subjects. Each subject is awarded a letter grade, which corresponds to a numerical grade point.
However, a candidate is preferably allowed to do eight to nine subjects to have more options when the final subject combination is done during the grading process.
The total of these grade points determines the candidate’s aggregate score and overall mean grade. In KCSE, the grading range is from A to E, with A being the highest and E the lowest.
Here is how points translate to letter grades: A (12 points), A- (11 points), B+ (10 points), B (9 points), B- (8 points), C+ (7 points), C (6 points), C- (5 points), D+ (4 points), D (3 points), D- (2 points) and E (1 point).
Subject Combination
Subjects are divided into five groups: The first group consists of compulsory subjects, which are English, Kiswahili, and Mathematics, while the second group consists of sciences, which are Biology, Physics and Chemistry.
The third group is Humanities, which includes History, Geography, and Religious Education, while the fifth group consists of technical subjects such as Agriculture, Computer Studies, Home Science, and Art and Design.
The last group consists of other languages and extra subjects, which include French, German, Arabic, Business Studies, Music, and Kenyan Sign Language.
While choosing subjects, students are always advised to choose subjects aligned with their career goals. A poor subject combination can lead to failure to meet grading criteria.
It is worth noting that the mean grade determines one’s eligibility for university and college placements.
A student who earns a Grade C+ and above typically qualifies for university placement but has the free will to choose a diploma or a certificate course.
Special Grades Descriptions
Besides the A to E grades awarded by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), the council may award special grades under certain circumstances.
For instance, a student may be awarded a Grade X, meaning the candidate was absent during the examination.
Likewise, the grade Y signifies an examination irregularity committed by the learner, while grade W means the results are withheld.
According to KNEC, details of pending, withheld and irregular results are communicated to the institution through the Sub-County Director of Education at the time of release of the examination results and are received by the institutions at the same time as the examination results.
Accessing Examination Results
Upon the release of KCSE examinations, the candidates can access their results by SMS through a number that is relayed during the release or through a link embedded on the KNEC portal.
The KCSE candidates will later be required to access their result slips through the KNEC website immediately after the release of the examination through their respective schools.
