The complete syllabuses created for use in junior high schools by the Ghana Education Service (GES)serves as the source for questions in the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE). To ensure proper preparation for the examination, it is essential that teachers and potential candidates become intimately familiar with the breadth and depth of the contents to be covered by the time the examinations is due.
How Questions Are Set
There will be two papers; paper 1 and paper 2, one for each subject, and a single sitting will be required to complete both. Paper 2 will be an essay exam, whereas paper 1 will be an objective exam. Each Paper specifies a time limit that applies to the exam.
For some subjects, there will be compulsory questions to answer in paper 2 and practical questions to answer.
Objectives(Paper 1)
English – 35 minutes
Mathematics – 1 hour
Integrated Science – 45 minutes
Social Studies – 45 minutes
Information and Communication Technology – 45 minutes
Basic Design and Technology – 40 minutes
Religious and Moral Education – 45 minutes
Ghanaian Language and Culture – 45 minutes
French – 1 hour
Essay/Paper 2
English – 1 hour 10 minutes
Mathematics – 1 hour
Integrated Science – 1 hour 15 minutes
Social Studies – 1 hour
Information and Communication Technology – 1 hour 15 minutes
Basic Design and Technology – 1 hour 15 minutes
Religious and Moral Education – 1 hour
Ghanaian Language and Culture – 1 hour
French – 45 minutes
NB: extra time is given to visually impaired candidates sitting for the examinations. The duration on the examination papers may differ from the provisional timetable provided by GES. In cases as such, candidates must abide by what is seen on the paper.
In Ghana, candidates are given grades based on their performance in the examinations on a range of 1 to 9, with 1 representing the highest performance and 9 representing the lowest.
Conclusion
BECE is a very important exam used to determine whether junior high school students are eligible for admission to senior high, vocational, and technical schools (both public and private). It is therefore advisable for teachers of various junior high schools to adequately prepare candidates for the exams by teaching them the approved syllables of GES. Candidates on the other hand must also ensure they learn hard in order to do very well in the examinations.