The CBE grading system explained: EE1 to BE2
Kenya’s Competency-Based Education (CBE, formerly CBC) does not grade learners A to E. It describes how well a learner has mastered each learning area using four performance levels, each split into two, giving eight levels worth 8 points down to 1. Here is what each level means, how the percentages and points line up, and how Grade 9 KJSEA results are put together.
The four performance levels
- EE — Exceeding Expectations. The learner has mastered the work and goes beyond it.
- ME — Meeting Expectations. The learner has achieved what was expected.
- AE — Approaching Expectations. The learner is getting there but has gaps.
- BE — Below Expectations. The learner needs more support to reach the expected level.
The eight levels, percentages and points
For the 2025 KJSEA, each level was matched to a score range and a number of points as follows:
| Level | Score range | Points | In plain words |
|---|---|---|---|
| EE1 | 90–100% | 8 | Exceptional |
| EE2 | 75–89% | 7 | Very good |
| ME1 | 58–74% | 6 | Fair |
| ME2 | 41–57% | 5 | Fair |
| AE1 | 31–40% | 4 | Needs improvement |
| AE2 | 21–30% | 3 | Below average |
| BE1 | 11–20% | 2 | Well below average |
| BE2 | 10% and below | 1 | Minimal |
Note that EE1 is the highest level, not the lowest — the “1” marks the upper half of Exceeding Expectations. Within each pair, level 1 is the stronger one.
How KJSEA results are worked out
The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) is taken at the end of Grade 9. For the 2025 candidates, the final result combined three parts:
- 20% from KPSEA, taken in Grade 6;
- 20% from school-based assessments in Grades 7 and 8;
- 60% from the KJSEA itself in Grade 9.
Learners were assessed in nine learning areas: English, Mathematics, Kiswahili or Kenya Sign Language, Integrated Science, Agriculture and Nutrition, Pre-Technical Studies, Creative Arts and Sports, Social Studies, and Religious Education.
No mean grade, no aggregate score
This is where many schools went wrong in 2025. KNEC has said clearly that KJSEA does not give an aggregate score, a total of points across subjects, or a mean grade, and so there is no “school mean score” for KJSEA either. Each learning area is reported on its own. KNEC also warned schools against publishing their own KJSEA rankings and analyses, calling them misleading.
The reason is the philosophy behind CBE: a learner who excels in one learning area should not have that hidden by a weaker result in another. Placement into Senior School pathways looks at the learning areas that matter for each pathway; Reports on the 2025 placement explained that an Approaching Expectations level is enough to progress to pathways that need only basic competence in a learning area.
What this means for your school’s own exams
Inside the school, end-term exams, CATs and mock assessments are still useful for tracking progress, and many schools do total points to compare a learner with their own earlier results. Two good habits:
- Report every learning area’s level on the report form, not just a total, so parents see strengths as well as gaps.
- Compare a learner with themselves. Showing deviation from the last exam motivates learners far more than a position in class.
Need help with the written part of the report form? See our 92 report form comments for CBE.
ShuleTop applies the eight CBE levels and their points to every mark automatically, prints one-page report forms with each learning area’s level, and shows each learner’s deviation from an earlier exam. See CBE report forms →
Sources
- The Star — Explainer: inside the new CBE grading system (Dec 13, 2025)
- The Star — KNEC explains new KJSEA grading system (Dec 15, 2025)
- Nation — How to interpret KJSEA scores
- Capital FM — KNEC warns schools against publishing misleading KJSEA results analysis
Grading rules can change. Always check the latest KNEC and Ministry of Education circulars.