THIS year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates will be conducted from Monday, July 31 to September 26, 2023.
Also, the Basic Education Certificate Examination for both school and private candidates for this year will be written simultaneously from Monday, August 7 to Friday, August 11, 2023.
The schedule for the two exit examinations for final-year students of senior high schools (SHSs) and junior high schools (JHS) have been brought forward a month, compared to the schedule for 2022.
While the 2022 WASSCE took place from Monday, August 1 to Tuesday, September 27, the BECE was written from October 17 to 21.
Addressing the press in Accra yesterday, the Head of Public Affairs of WAEC, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, said the schedule, particularly for the WASSCE, would be for only candidates in Ghana.
Exit exams
Final-year students in SHSs sit the WASSCE as their exit examination and successful results enable them to pursue tertiary education.
While school candidates sit for the examination in July to September, private candidates usually write their papers from October to December, hence the popular name: Nov/Dec.
The BECE, on the other hand, is the exit examination for final-year JHS students, who, after successful completion, decide to continue at SHS or technical and vocational education training (TVET) centres or learn a trade, depending on one’s interest.
The timetable for these two examinations were disrupted in 2020 after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which compelled the government to close down schools and all other public gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of the disease.
Mrs Teye-Cudjoe said the portal for the registration of eligible candidates for the WASSCE for school candidates had been opened, and that it would close on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.
The council, she said, had held briefing sessions nationwide for the authorities of 978 schools who were expected to present candidates for the examination, and that during the briefing sessions, it was emphasised that school authorities should take note of the requirements during the registration process.
“These are the correct spelling of names and the arrangement of names in the right order: that is, surname, first name and other names; eg. Yeboah Daniel Kwabena.
“Confirmation of date of birth by candidates before finalisation of the registration process; proper capturing of candidates’ photographs showing candidate’s faces without sunglasses or spectacles and both ears,” she said.
“Candidates are urged to ensure that their bio-data are captured correctly, as no amendment of date of birth, re-arrangement/addition or subtraction of names will be entertained after the release of final results and the printing of certificates.
“The council will make test accommodation arrangements for candidates who cannot be assessed by the standard procedures set out because of disability or special educational needs.
“Requests for access arrangements for special needs candidates, with accompanying medical reports, should be forwarded to the council by Tuesday, May 2, 2023,” she said.
Illegalities
Regarding eligibility, she said it was against the rules and regulations of the examination for schools to solicit for students and advertise the examination in any form : in the print, electronic or social media.
Also, she said, it was an offence to register students who had not been enrolled in SHS from their first-year through to the third-year and did not have theregister students who had not been enrolled in SHS from their first-year through to the third-year and did not have the required continuous assessment records.
“The grading for the WASSCE SC is 70 per cent external examination score and 30 per cent continuous assessment score.
Source: Graphiconline
