Are you wondering how the Kenya National Examinations Council, Knec, finally arrives at the grades it awards the over 700,000 KCSE candidates annually? Shelve your worry and let our dedicated media team explore the labyrinth dubbed the Knec KCSE grading system
In this article we shall explore the following:
1. KCSE Knec Grading Scale Per Subject 2022
2. KCSE Grading system Per Subject
3. How the KCSE Knec grading system works
4. New KNEC KCSE Grading Scale Per Subject 2021/2022
Knec grading system calculator
The Kenya National Examination Council ,KNEC, uses a standardized grading system to award marks and evaluate the overall academic performance of students who sit for the KCSE exams annually.
Currently, the Knec KCSE results are determined using a 12-point grading system.
The overall grade attained by the candidate in question eventually dictates the level of tertiary institution he or she can join.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the current KCSE grading system.
KNEC recently released the KCSE grading system used during national examinations.
The system is based on a numeric 12-point scale ranging between 1-12 and an elaborated letter grade ranging from A to E then X and Y i.e (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, E, X and Y)
Significance of the Knec grading system for KCSE candidates
C+ is the ‘pass’ grade that determines the cut-off points for students joining universities on full government sponsorship.
Given the nature of most Kenyan households, students struggle to attain grade C+ to save their parents from incurring tertiary education tuition fees.
Besides, the majority of employers consider grades C to E insignificant owing to the rising literacy levels and stiff competition for limited white job opportunities. Most candidates who score the aforementioned grades however get placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, KUCCPS, in technical and vocational institutions.
A is the best grade a student can strive to get. It takes a mixture of grades A- to B- for a student to enroll in a good university.
KCSE KNEC Grading System 2021-2022
The KCSE grading system measures all the mastery of the 6 levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. See the image below
It also measures the competence levels achieved by learners at the end of the four-year course.
The paradigm shift in the KNEC Grading System
Until recently, KNEC used the grading system as a comparative tool of weighing students abilities.
However, the Council turned a new leaf. This has greatly changed the general perception of exams and the entire learning process.
Students can henceforth use the system to determine their next learning steps. For example, students who score B+ in Biology, Mathematics, and English can choose to learn medicine at the university.
How Knec uses the Grading System to award missing marks and detected leakages
Sitting or registering for KNEC KCSE exams does not guarantee a grade, A student can sit for the national examinations but KNEC may not award the student a mean grade for any of the following reasons: This can happen if a student does not meet the minimum requirements for being awarded a certificate or if Knec detects cheating in exams.
In the above instances, a candidate will be awarded as follows:
U – it indicates a candidate has not met the criteria for a certificate award
W – it indicates KNEC has withheld a candidate’s results for various reasons
X – it indicates a candidate was not present throughout the exams
Y – it indicates KNEC has canceled a candidate’s results because of irregularities
Z – it indicates a candidate has not met the registration requirements
How the KNEC grading system works
KNEC grades candidates who sit for 7 or more KCSE subjects during the national examinations.
The examinations’ council puts all subjects into five categories. These groups include:
Group I – These are compulsory subjects all students must sit for during exams. They include English (101), Kiswahili (102), and Mathematics (121).
Group II – The group consists of four science subjects. However, a student must sit for at least two subjects during the exams. They include Biology (231), Physics (232), Chemistry (233), and General Science (237).
Group III – The group consists of five humanities subjects. A student must sit for at least one subject during the exams. They include History and Government (311), Geography (312), Christian Religious Education (313), Islamic Religious Education (314), and Hindu Religious Education (315).
Group IV – There are eleven subjects in this group. The subjects include: Home Science (411), Art and Design (442), Agriculture (443), Woodwork (444), Metalwork (445), Building Construction (446), Power Mechanics (447), Electricity (448), Drawing and Design (449), Aviation Technology (450), and Computer Studies (451).
Group V – The groups consists of subjects from languages and business studies. They include French (501), German (502), Arabic (503), Kenya Sign Language (504), Music (511), and Business Studies (565).
A student can choose the seventh subject from Group II or Groups III, IV or V. To get a mean grade based on the KCSE grading system , KNEC averages a student’s score in all the seven (7) subjects.
The table below shows grades and marks and their corresponding points based on the current KCSE grading system.
Here is the most recent KCSE Grading System adopted for the 2021 KCSE exams:
POINTS
ENGLISH- 101 GRADE
12
80 – 100
A
11
75 – 79
A-
10
70 – 74
B+
9
65- 69
B
8
60 – 64
B-
7
55 – 59
C+
6
50 – 54
C
5
45 – 49
C-
4
40 – 44
D+
3
35 -39
D
2
30 -34
D-
1
0 -29
E
POINTS
KISWAHILI- 102 GRADE
12
78 – 100
A
11
73 – 77
A-
10
68 – 72
B+
9
63 – 67
B
8
58 – 62
B-
7
53 – 57
C+
6
48 – 52
C
5
43 – 47
C-
4
38 – 42
D+
3
33 – 37
D
2
28 – 32
D-
1
0 – 27
E
POINTS
MATHEMATICS-121 GRADE
12
70 – 100
A
11
65 – 69
A-
10
60 – 64
B+
9
55 – 59
B
8
49 – 54
B-
7
43 – 48
C+
6
37 – 42
C
5
31 – 36
C-
4
25 – 30
D+
3
19 – 24
D
2
12 – 18
D-
1
0 -11
E
POINTS
BIOLOGY-121 GRADE
12
80 – 100
A
11
75 -79
A-
10
70 – 74
B+
9
65- 69
B
8
60 – 64
B-
7
55 – 59
C+
6
50 – 54
C
5
45 – 49
C-
4
40 – 44
D+
3
35-39
D
2
30-34
D-
1
0 -29
E
POINTS
PHYSICS-232 GRADE
12
60 – 100
A
11
55 – 59
A-
10
50 – 54
B+
9
45 – 49
B
8
40 – 44
B-
7
35 – 39
C+
6
30 – 34
C
5
25 – 29
C-
4
20 – 24
D+
3
15 – 19
D
2
10 – 14
D-
1
0 – 9
E
POINTS
CHEMISTRY-233 GRADE
12
65 – 100
A
11
60 – 64
A-
10
55 – 59
B+
9
50 – 54
B
8
45 – 49
B-
7
40 – 44
C+
6
35 – 39
C
5
30 – 34
C-
4
25 – 29
D+
3
20 – 24
D
2
15 – 19
D-
1
0 – 14
E
POINTS
HISTORY- 311 GRADE
12
80 – 100
A
11
75 – 79
A-
10
70 – 74
B+
9
65 – 69
B
8
60 – 64
B-
7
55 – 59
C+
6
50 – 54
C
5
45 – 49
C-
4
40 – 44
D+
3
35 – 39
D
2
30 – 34
D-
1
0 -29
E
POINTS
GEOGRAPHY-312 GRADE
12
66 – 100
A
11
61 – 65
A-
10
56 – 60
B+
9
51 – 55
B
8
46 – 50
B-
7
41 – 45
C+
6
36 – 40
C
5
31 – 35
C-
4
26 – 30
D+
3
21 – 25
D
2
16 – 20
D-
1
0 – 15
E
POINTS
CRE-313 GRADE
12
90 – 100
A
11
85 – 89
A-
10
80 – 84
B+
9
75 – 79
B
8
70 – 74
B-
7
65 – 69
C+
6
60 – 64
C
5
55 – 59
C-
4
50 – 54
D+
3
45 – 49
D
2
40 – 44
D-
1
0 – 39
E
POINTS
AGRICULTURE-443 GRADE
12
88 – 100
A
11
83 – 87
A-
10
78 – 82
B+
9
73 – 77
B
8
68 – 72
B-
7
63 – 67
C+
6
58 – 62
C
5
53 – 57
C-
4
48 – 52
D+
3
43 – 47
D
2
38 – 42
D-
1
0 – 37
E
During the marking of KCSE examinations, KNEC does not give candidates a percentage mark to get a particular grade.
Instead, they publish KCSE grades and points to indicate the general performance of students.
The examinations body sets grades by combining expert judgment and statistics to come on an agreeable grade boundary.
Exam papers are not the same. They vary in difficulty. As such, the experts set grade boundaries to reflect the current performance of all students. The purpose is to ensure candidates do not get lower grades just because they sat for more difficult papers than previous years’. After agreeing on grade boundaries, KNEC applies them to students’ marks to give them a grade.
KCSE examiners are teachers experienced in respective subjects. The examinations body selects them carefully and trains them before they can mark the exams. It is essential that they use the same standards when marking the exams so that KNEC can award students the right grades.
Before schools can receive the results, senior examiners conduct final checks on all the marking. The purpose is to ensure no errors and that the standards were met during the marking of the exams.
The Kenya National Examinations Council does not use percentages in the grading system. They replace them with letter grades to create a mean grade. Kenyan universities do not use percentages from KCSE results when enrolling students too. Instead, they use the mean grade to determine a student’s rank in the concluded exams. This strategy means that the KCSE grading system gives a better measure of a student’s performance than the traditional marking system.
