BASIC EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (BECE)

BASIC EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (BECE)

  • The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is written for certification and selection into Senior High Schools and Technical Institutions. The examination is written annually by basic students as a prerequisite for admission into second cycle institutions in the country. For those not able to enter into secondary schools, the BECE serves as their first certification.
  • ELIGIBILITY FOR THE BASIC EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (BECE)

Candidates in the third year of Junior High Schools approved by the Ghana Education Service are eligible to take part in this examination.

  1. DATE OF EXAMINATION

The examination is conducted nationwide in mostly May/June each year.

  1. ENTRY PERIOD AND DOCUMENTS

The entry period for the basic education certificate examination (BECE) is October/November each year and it normally takes six weeks to complete. Participating Schools upload their Statement of Entries and School Choice Files on the internet for processing. Continuous Assessment Scores are however submitted on CD’s to the Council

  1. SUBJECTS FOR THE EXAMINATION

The following are the subjects for the Basic Education Certificate Examination:

  • English Language
  • Ghanaian Language and Culture
  • Social Studies
  • Integrated Science
  • Mathematics
  • Basic Design and Technology
  • Information and Communication Technology
  • French (optional)
  • Religious and Moral Education
  1. GRADING OF CANDIDATES

BECE Candidates are graded based on performance in the external examination (objective and written) and Continuous (Internal) Assessment marks provided by the schools. A nine-point scale is used in grading the candidates with Grade 1 denoting the highest performance and Grade 9 the lowest.

  1. RELEASE OF RESULTS

The results of the examination are released in August to enable successful and qualified candidates enter Senior High Schools and Technical Institutes at the beginning of the academic year in September. The results lists are sent to the participating schools, whilst each candidate receives a statement of results through his/her school.

  1. SELECTION OF CANDIDATES TO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Candidates are selected to Senior High Schools by the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

REVIEW OF SCRIPTS OF BASIC EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (BECE)

Scripts are kept for three months after the release of results before they are finally destroyed. During this time, review of scripts for a fee is allowed and this is done at the instance of the Head of school or an accredited representative of the school since the Basic Education Certificate Examination is a school-based examination. The Council by policy does not undertake review of scripts at the instance of candidates, parents, guardians or persons claiming to act “in loco parentis”.

  1. CERTIFICATES FOR BASIC EDUCATION CERTIFICANTE EXAMINATION (BECE) CANDIDATES

Certificates for successful candidates are produced within a month after results are released. They are sent to the schools for collection by individual candidates. Certificates are produced once, and so certificates which get lost or damaged after collection are not replaced.

  1. CONFIRMATION OF RESULTS

Candidates who lose their certificates may confirm their results to prospective employers and educational institutions.
The general public is to note that the basic education certificate examination (BECE) can now be taken at the private level by candidates who were not able to make the required grades at their first attempt.