KCSE 2024: How Number Of E Grades Climbed To Over 48,000 In 5 Years

Whereas scoring Grade A is seen as the ultimate milestone in the national exams, one wouldn't dream of scoring Grade E.

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Jan 9, 2025 - 18:28
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KCSE 2024: How Number Of E Grades Climbed To Over 48,000 In 5 Years
Education CS Julius Ogamba during the presentation of the KCSE 2024 results on January 9, 2025. /PHOTO

The national examinations, including the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), have always been a talking point across the country and have been used to judge a student's academic life as well as predict their careers.

The grades one gets make a big difference between success and failure in life, or so they say. Therefore, whereas scoring Grade A is seen as the ultimate milestone in the national exams, one wouldn't dream of scoring Grade E.

Society often frowns on those who score grade E and many students wouldn't even dare mention it out of fear of criticism and ridicule. Sometimes, they even avoid mentioning their educational backgrounds in public.

The thought of explaining to their parents how they attained such a grade after spending four years in school is overwhelming; with the majority treated as pariahs. Simply put, "So what have you been doing all this time you have gone to school?"

However, scoring a grade E happens and in recent years, this number has been on the rise. In the past five years alone, the figure rose by a 72 per cent margin, depicting the steady rise in the number of E graders.

In 2019, 29,318 candidates were at the lower end of the ranking scale despite the number of students who qualified for university having risen that year to 125,746. The figure dropped to 28,046 in 2020 but rose to 46,151 the following year. 

In 2022, the number of E graders dropped marginally to 30,822, comprising 18,062 men and 12,760 women. This, however, increased in the 2023 exams to 48,174. 

The 2024 KCSE exams saw the figure rise to 48,333; comprising 20,112 women and 28,221 men. This is worrying considering the number of A grades, the highest grade, was 1,693, out of a total of 962,512 who sat for the national examinations that concluded on November 22, 2024.

Education stakeholders have in the past attributed this to poverty in some parts of the country, with a section of learners missing school due to lack of fees. 

Despite being criticised for sending learners home, a section of school heads have defended their actions by blaming the government for delaying the disbursement of funds, hence leading to scarce resources needed for running operations. 

Last year, former Education CS Ezekiel Machogu directed a team to investigate the number of grade Es in the 2023 KCSE exams to establish the high rate of dismal performance.

A key change to the grading of the exams was the new grading system that reduced compulsory subjects required to compute a candidate's mean grade. Previously, the grading system considered five mandatory subjects across three cluster groups; Maths, English, Kiswahili, science and a humanity subject. 

In the new system, only two mandatory subjects, Mathematics and one language (English, Kiswahili or Kenyan Sign Language) will be used to compute the mean grade. 

For the new system, examiners must pick a candidate's top five performing subjects, doing away with the previous system which was perceived to disadvantage learners whose best subjects could not be considered if not within the clusters. 

Critics have, however, accused the new grading system of placing an overemphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects and leaving a large number of students in a pool of D and E grades. 

Subject-wise, this is how the KCSE 2024 played out: 17 subjects recorded a significantly improved performance. These include Mathematics alternative A and B, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History and Government, Geography and IRE.

Others are Agriculture, Woodwork, Metal Work, Drawing and Design, Aviation Technology, Computer Studies, Kenyan Sign Language and Business Studies.

On the other hand, the CS noted that English, Kiswahili, Biology for the Blind, CRE, Home Science, Building Construction, Electricity, French, German and Music recorded a drop in performance.

Female candidates outperformed males in seven subjects. They included English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language, French, Home Science, CRE and Art & Design.

Male candidates, however, excelled in 23 subjects, recording a better mean score performance than their female counterparts. The subjects include Mathematics Alternative A & B, Biology & Biology for the Blind, Physics, Chemistry, General Science, History & Government and Geography.

Others are IRE, Woodwork, Metal Work, Building & Construction, Power Mechanics, Electricity, Drawing & Design, Aviation Technology, Agriculture, Computer Studies, German, Arabic, Music and Business Studies.

A photo of students undertaking KCSE exams. /KENYA NEWS AGENCY

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