Education CS Ogamba Releases Full Breakdown of Kenya’s First Junior School Exams and Senior School Placement Criteria
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has formally released the full structure and results of the inaugural Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), marking a pivotal moment in the country’s transition to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The announcement was made on Thursday, December 11, at Mtihani House in Nairobi, where the CS outlined the grading model, performance trends and the criteria that will be used to place Grade 9 learners into senior school next year.
Addressing parents, teachers and education stakeholders during the release, Ogamba stressed that the KJSEA represents a fundamental shift in how learner achievement is measured in Kenya. He noted that unlike the traditional marks-based examinations that dominated the former 8-4-4 system, the CBC relies on performance levels designed to capture a learner’s competencies more holistically.
“The current competency-based assessment introduced under the CBC mainly relies on the performance levels of a student rather than traditional marks-based grading,” Ogamba explained. He added that these performance levels — exceeding expectation, meeting expectation, approaching expectation and below expectation — were created to reflect more accurately what learners can demonstrate in each subject area.
Eight-Point Grading Scale
In a detailed breakdown of the new grading model, the CS confirmed that the KJSEA adopted the existing four CBC bands but expanded them into an eight-point scale to distinguish subtle differences in learner achievement.
- Point 8: Highest level — exceeding expectations
- Point 1: Lowest level — below expectations
Ogamba said this structure was carefully designed to ensure fairness and recognise excellence.
“The reporting of performance of KJSEA has thus been done from point 1 to point 8, where point 8 is the best at ‘exceeding expectation’ and point 1 is the least at ‘below expectation’,” he stated.
He emphasised that the two-tier separation within each band was intended to differentiate exceptional performance from competent performance.
“The creation of these bands serves to distinguish exemplary performance from good performance,” he noted.
Subjects With Strongest Performance
Ogamba also highlighted the subjects in which learners performed most strongly. Out of the 12 subjects assessed, seven recorded a higher proportion of candidates achieving meeting and exceeding expectation levels.
These subjects included:
- Hindu Religious Education – 84%
- Integrated Science – 61%
- Social Studies – 58.7%
- Creative Arts & Sports – 58.04%
- Kiswahili – 57.9%
- Christian Religious Education – 53.9%
- Agriculture – 52%
According to the CS, the strong outcomes reflect areas where schools have effectively implemented the competency-based approach.
How Grade 9 Learners Will Be Placed in Senior School
The CS further clarified how the final Grade 9 outcomes will influence placement into senior school pathways. He said the final assessment score was derived from three cumulative components:
- 20% from the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA)
- 20% from school-based assessments conducted in Grades 7 and 8
- 60% from the summative KJSEA exam completed in Grade 9
“This summative evaluation is the KJSEA,” Ogamba said, adding that the three-part structure was designed to give a comprehensive reflection of a learner’s journey through junior school.
He assured parents that learners who score within the approaching expectation category will still qualify for senior school.
“An approaching expectation grade is sufficient for learners to progress to senior school pathways that require basic competencies in the subject areas,” the CS clarified.
The Ministry of Education is expected to announce specific placement results and senior school allocations in the coming weeks.
Education CS Ogamba Releases Full Breakdown of Kenya’s First Junior School Exams and Senior School Placement Criteria