Let’s explore the basic or fundamental things that the general public is encouraged to know about BECE. The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is the main examination to qualify students for admission into Secondary and Technical and Vocational schools in Ghana. It is written after three years of Junior Secondary Education. It is administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in collaboration with Ghana Education Service under the Ministry of Education. Candidates in the third year of junior high schools approved by the Ghana Education Service are eligible for the examination. It is conducted annually in June. BECE is a national examination, which means that it is an examination conducted within the corridors of Ghana.

TESTED SUBJECTS

English Language
Mathematics
Integrated Science
Social Studies
Religious and Moral Education
French (Optional)
Ghanaian language (any Ghanaian language offered at candidate’s school)
Basic Design and Technology (Visual arts, Home Economics, Pre-Technical Skills)
Information Communication and Technology (ICT)

Be informed that the number of tested subjects can change based on the review of the curriculum.

REGISTRATION

Schools approved by the Ghana Education Service, both public and private, are eligible to register students who are in the third year of Junior High School for the BECE each year. The six-week entry period begins in October and ends in November. Participating schools upload their Statement of Entries and School Choice Files via the Internet for processing. Continuous Assessment Scores are submitted to the council on compact discs.

SCHOOL SELECTION PROCESS

*Teachers and Parents guiding their wards in the school selection exercise*

Before going through the school placement system, here are a few things you need to be aware of:

A register containing a list of schools will be sent to the various Junior High Schools through the Metro/Municipal/District Education Offices. Parents and teachers are to guide students in choosing 5 or 6 schools, depending on the criteria for the selection of schools, in order of preference. When selecting schools, students should consider their academic performance before making a choice, as their scores will be fed into the CSSPS to automatically generate their school. It is important to note that the program a pupil wants to pursue and accommodation status are also relevant at this stage.

Students who score an aggregate of 9 in the following core subjects: Mathematics, English Language, and Integrated Science are not qualified for placement. Such students must retake the exams as private candidates and go through the selection process for placement.

BECE GRADING AND SELECTION

The examination consists of multiple-choice and written questions, along with Continuous (Internal) Assessment marks provided by the schools. Candidates receive grades on a nine-point scale, with Grade 1 indicating the highest performance and Grade 9 the lowest.

The Ghana Education Service utilizes its Computerized School Selection and Placement System to allocate successful BECE candidates to Senior High Schools, Technical and Vocational institutions, and STEM Schools. Students who cannot be placed automatically are advised to use the self-placement model to select from the available schools.

REVIEW OF SCRIPTS

Scripts (graded tests) are kept for three months, then destroyed. During this time, they may be examined, for a fee, with the authorization of a school’s head or its accredited representative.

CERTIFICATION

Certificates for successful candidates are produced within a month after results are released and are sent to schools for collection by individual candidates. Certificates lost or damaged after collection are not replaceable.

CONCLUSION

The BECE is a mandatory examination for students in the ninth year of their Basic Education Class and the third year of Junior Secondary School. It serves as a determinant for the promotion of students from Junior High School (JHS) to Senior High School (SHS). Obtaining the basic education certificate through this examination is a necessary requirement for SHS, SHTS, and TVET and STEM school selection.