UCE 2024: New Grading System Under New Lower Secondary Competence Based Curriculum Explained

UCE 2024 results for the first cohort of candidates under the New Lower Secondary (NLSC) competence based curriculum (CBC) were released on February 11, 2025.

The Pearl Times explains how the new grading system under New Lower Secondary Competence Based Curriculum works.

In 2020, the Ministry of Education and Sports rolled out the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) for the lower secondary school level, which necessitated assessment reforms.

That is how new components of Continuous Assessment (CA) and Project Work on top of the existing End of Cycle examination came up.

“The new assessment comes with a change in the reporting and certification,” noted Uneb executive director Dan Odongo.

“The Board, in close consultations with the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), has come up with a reporting mechanism that presents a learner’s level of achievement in each subject with a letter grade (A, B, C, D or E).”

The levels of achievement were arrived at through systematic and technical processes, both statistical and psychometric. These combine the learner’s score based on Continuous Assessment done at school, and End-of-Cycle examination score in the proportion of 20 per cent, and 80 per cent respectively.

“Additionally, the Project Work is assessed at school, and the achievement level is presented as a stand-alone on the certificate. The achievement level on the Project reveals a learner’s creative competency in dealing with actual and contemporary world problems,” explained Odongo.

Let us now look at the meanings of these letter grades: A, B, C, D, and E.

The achievement level for each subject is arrived at from scores generated from the assessment of competencies at the school level; that is, through Continuous Assessment (CA), and the scores from competencies assessed in the final, End of Cycle examination.

Performance is reported by achievement levels indicated by letter grades A, B, C, D and E.

For Grade A, the Achievement Level is Exceptional, and a candidate demonstrates an extraordinary level of competency by applying innovatively and creatively the acquired knowledge and skills in real life situations.

For Grade B, a candidate is Outstanding and demonstrates a high level of competency by applying the acquired knowledge and skills in real life situations.

For Grade C, the level of achievement is Satisfactory, and a candidate demonstrates an adequate level of competency by applying the acquired knowledge and skills in real life situations.

For Grade D, the level of achievement is Basic and a candidate demonstrates a minimum level of competency in applying the acquired knowledge and skills in real life situations.

For Grade E, the level of achievement is Elementary, and a candidate demonstrates below the basic level of competency in applying the acquired knowledge and skills in real life situations.

Under the competency-based assessment, there is no ranking of candidates into Divisions as in the previous curriculum.

Result 1, 2, and 3

A candidate will qualify for the UCE Certificate if he or she obtains a competency level grade of D in at least one subject sat for. This will be indicated on the Transcript and Certificate as Result 1.

The candidates who did not fulfil the conditions for the award of the UCE certificate will have Result 2 indicated on their transcripts.  

These are candidates who did not sit for some compulsory subjects, or did not sit for a minimum of eight subjects, or who have no Project Work scores.

Result 3 will be will be indicated on the transcript of a candidate who has not met the minimum level in all the subjects. This means that a candidate will have only achievement level E in all subjects taken.

Candidates with Result 2 and 3 respectively shown on their Transcripts do not qualify for a UCE certificate.

You can see see our full briefing on UCE 2024 performance showing Worst and Done Subjects, Performance by Gender, and Examination Malpractice Under CBC New Lower Secondary Curriculum HERE.

Check out top best performing schools, according to UCE results for previous sittings Here, There and Over There.

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