Kenya’s national examination system uses different assessment and grading approaches for primary, junior, and secondary school learners, with the transition to Competency-Based Education (CBE) changing how pupils’ achievements are measured and reported.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has established separate assessment frameworks for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
KCSE: The Traditional Letter-Grading System
While KPSEA and KJSEA operate under the competency-based assessment framework, KCSE continues to use the established 8-4-4 examination grading system.
KNEC’s KCSE regulations provide a 12-point grading scale, from A (12 points) to E (1 point).
The grades include A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- and E.
For regular candidates, the overall KCSE grade is calculated using Mathematics, the better-performing language between English and Kiswahili, and the five best-performing remaining subjects.
Candidates must sit at least seven subjects to qualify for the KCSE certificate, subject to the examination regulations.
“The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education will be awarded to all candidates who fulfill all the requirements for the examination as prescribed in these regulations. Candidates MUST sit for at least seven (7) subjects,” KNEC directs.
KCSE Grades, Points and Marks Range
| Grade | Points | Marks |
| A | 12 | 80–100% |
| A- | 11 | 75–79% |
| B+ | 10 | 70–74% |
| B | 9 | 65–69% |
| B- | 8 | 60–64% |
| C+ | 7 | 55–59% |
| C | 6 | 45–54% |
| C- | 5 | 40–44% |
| D+ | 4 | 35–39% |
| D | 3 | 30–34% |
| D- | 2 | 25–29% |
| E | 1 | Below 25% |
KJSEA: How Grade 9 Candidates Earn Their Points
The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) evaluates learners at the end of Grade 9 before they transition to Senior School.
KNEC’s regulations provide for a combined assessment approach, rather than the candidates’ final results being determined by the Grade 9 examination alone.
According to KNEC, the weighting distribution includes 60 percent from the Grade 9 KJSEA summative assessment, 20 percent from Grade 7 and Grade 8 school-based assessments, and 20 percent from KPSEA.
KJSEA uses four main performance descriptors: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Approaching Expectations and Below Expectations.
Each descriptor has two levels, creating an eight-point grading scale.
The highest performance, EE1, is worth eight points for scores between 90 and 100 percent. EE2 carries seven points for scores between 75 and 89 percent.
On the other hand, Meeting Expectations is represented by ME1, carrying six points, and ME2, carrying five points.
Approaching Expectations includes AE1 and AE2, carrying four and three points, while Below Expectations includes BE1, carrying two points, and BE2, one point.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba explained the grading framework during the 2025 KJSEA results announcement.
“The reporting of performance at KJSEA has thus been done from point 1 to 8, where point 8 is the best at Exceeding Expectation and point 1 is the least at Below Expectation 2,” Ogamba said.
KNEC, however, clarifies that the nine KJSEA learning areas are not combined into a single aggregate score.
Instead, individual subject achievements are used alongside a statistical assessment of learners’ strengths and potential across three Senior School pathways: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports Science.
The pathway-strength indicator ranges from zero to 75.
KPSEA: Assessing Grade 6 learners
KPSEA assesses learners completing Grade 6 and covers content taught in Grades 4, 5 and 6.
According to KNEC’s User Guide for the Management and Administration of KPSEA and KJSEA, the assessment consists of multiple-choice questions, with learners using personalized Optical Mark Reader (OMR) answer forms.
The assessment measures learners’ mastery of competencies and readiness to progress to the next educational level.
According to the Kenya National Examinations Council, KPSEA uses four performance levels to describe Grade 6 learners’ achievement in different learning areas, including Exceeding Expectation (Level 4), Meeting Expectation (Level 3), Approaching Expectation (Level 2), and Below Expectation (Level 1).
Unlike the former KCPE examination, KPSEA is not intended to rank learners competitively for secondary school admission.
Under KNEC’s published regulations, its results also contribute 20 percent to the final KJSEA assessment score.
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