The release of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results has once again sparked excitement, joy, disappointment, and endless debates across Ghana. Social media has been filled with congratulatory messages, result slips, and comparisons between this year’s candidates and those who sat for the examination in previous years.
While it is natural for parents to celebrate their children’s achievements, it is equally important to understand how the BECE grading system works before making conclusions about a child’s intelligence, ability, or future.
Unfortunately, many parents have been comparing the results of children who wrote the BECE in different years. Comments such as:
“Your elder brother had six Grade 1s. Why couldn’t you?”
“Your sister performed better than you. She was more intelligent.”
These two divergent statement may sound harmless, but they can have a lasting effect on a child’s confidence and self-esteem.
The truth is that these comparisons are neither fair nor accurate.
What Is the Stanine Grading System?
The BECE has for many years used the Stanine (Standard Nine) Grading System. Under this system, candidates are graded from 1 to 9, where:
- Grade 1 represents the highest level of achievement.
- Grade 9 represents the lowest level of achievement.
Many people mistakenly believe that these grades represent fixed percentages.
For example, some assume that:
- Grade 1 means scoring above 90%;
- Grade 2 means 80–89%;
- Grade 3 means 70–79%; and so on.
That is not how the system works.
A learner who obtains Grade 1 does not necessarily score above 90%, just as a learner with Grade 4 or Grade 5 does not automatically fall within a fixed percentage range.
Why Are the Grades Not Fixed?
Every year’s examination is different. Although WAEC maintains high standards, some examination papers are naturally more difficult than others.
To ensure fairness, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) does not use the same raw-score boundaries every year.
Instead, experts analyse candidates’ overall performance using scientific and statistical methods known as psychometric analysis. This process helps determine grade boundaries that fairly reflect the difficulty level of each year’s examination.
In simple terms, WAEC adjusts the grade boundaries to ensure that no group of candidates is unfairly disadvantaged simply because their examination happened to be more difficult.
A Simple Example
Imagine that in 2025, the Mathematics paper was relatively easy, and many candidates scored between 75% and 90%.
Now imagine that in 2026, the Mathematics paper was much more challenging, with most candidates scoring between 45% and 65%.
Would it be fair to use exactly the same grading boundaries for both years?
Certainly not.
Doing so would unfairly disadvantage the 2026 candidates simply because they wrote a more difficult examination.
This is why comparing a Grade 1 obtained in 2026 with a Grade 1 obtained in 2024 or 2025 can be misleading. Likewise, comparing a Grade 2 in one year with a Grade 1 in another year without understanding the context does not present the full picture.
Each examination year has its own unique characteristics, and the grading process takes these differences into account.
Does This Mean the Stanine System Is Bad?
Not at all.
The Stanine Grading System has served Ghana’s education system for decades and continues to play an important role.
It helps to:
- ensure fairness across different examination years;
- support the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS);
- provide a reliable basis for national educational planning;
- measure learner achievement on a large scale; and
- maintain consistency and credibility in national examinations.
Therefore, the issue is not whether the Stanine system is good or bad.
The more important question is:
Does the Stanine Grading System Fully Reflect the Goals of Ghana’s Competency-Based Curriculum?
This is where an important national conversation begins.
The Competency-Based Curriculum Has Changed the Way We Think About Learning
Ghana’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is designed to move beyond memorisation and examination scores.
It aims to develop learners who can:
- think critically;
- solve real-life problems;
- communicate effectively;
- work collaboratively;
- demonstrate creativity;
- apply knowledge in practical situations; and
- become responsible citizens.
Under this curriculum, the central question is no longer:
“How many marks did the learner obtain?”
Instead, it asks:
“Can the learner demonstrate the knowledge, skills, values, and competencies expected?”
This represents a major shift in educational philosophy.
Stanines and Competencies Serve Different Purposes
The Stanine system primarily tells us how a learner performed in relation to other candidates who wrote the same examination in a particular year.
The Competency-Based Curriculum, however, focuses on what the learner knows, understands, and is able to do.
These two approaches are related, but they are not the same.
One supports selection and certification.
The other supports learning and mastery.
Both are important, but each serves a different purpose.
Should Ghana Abolish the Stanine Grading System?
In my opinion, no.
The Stanine system remains a valuable tool for national examinations such as the BECE.
However, I believe the time has come to review how examination results are reported so they better reflect the aims of the Competency-Based Curriculum.
A modern assessment system should ensure that curriculum, teaching, assessment, and reporting all work together.
My Recommendations
Rather than replacing the Stanine system entirely, Ghana should consider strengthening the entire assessment framework by:
- continuing to use scientifically sound psychometric methods in national examinations to ensure fairness and credibility;
- strengthening competency-based, classroom assessment so learners receive meaningful feedback on what they know and can do;
- helping parents understand how national examinations are graded; and
- presenting examination results in a way that is easier for learners, parents, and schools to interpret without compromising fairness.
Such an approach would allow national examinations to continue fulfilling their role in placement and certification while ensuring that classroom assessment truly supports learning and personal growth.
A Message to Parents
To every parent, guardian, and caregiver:
Please do not compare children who wrote the BECE in different years.
Please do not measure one child’s worth by another child’s result.
Every child has unique strengths, abilities, talents, and opportunities.
A BECE result is an important milestone, but it is not the final measure of intelligence, potential, or future success.
History has shown that many successful professionals, entrepreneurs, academics, and leaders did not obtain perfect BECE results. Likewise, many students who excelled in the BECE still had to work hard to achieve success later in life.
What truly matters is a learner’s willingness to keep learning, improving, adapting, and making the most of every opportunity.
If Possible, Let’s Move the Conversation Forward
Instead of asking:
“Should Ghana keep or abolish the Stanine Grading System?”
Perhaps the better question is:
“How can Ghana build an assessment system that fully reflects the goals of the Competency-Based Curriculum while maintaining fairness, credibility, transparency, and public confidence?”
That is the discussion our education system needs.
I respectfully invite the views of teachers, parents, students, curriculum specialists, researchers, lecturers, educational policymakers, the Ghana Education Service (GES), and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
Should Ghana maintain, reform, or replace the current BECE grading system?
Share your thoughts in the comments. Your perspective could contribute to shaping the future of assessment in Ghana.
