The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has introduced a fundamental change by adopting a competency-based grading approach, which replaces the former numerical grading scale for Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) candidates.
The new grading structure uses A, B, C, D, and E to present students’ mastery levels and knowledge application abilities.
Students received their previous grades through numerical rankings that included distinctions, credits, passes and failures before this change.
The reform implements the Competency-Based Curriculum framework which the Ministry of Education released in 2020 to focus on ongoing evaluation and practical skill development.
Students receive their final subject grades through Continuous Assessment, which totals 20%, together with End-of-Cycle examinations, which make up 80% of the final score.
During the academic period, teachers perform Continuous Assessments through evaluations that examine students’ practical projects and their ongoing performance development. The grading system uses letters which represent distinct achievement standards.
- The achievement level of Grade A represents exceptional skill performance that shows both imaginative and creative uses of mastered knowledge to solve real-world problems.
- Students who achieve a grade B demonstrate outstanding abilities in delivering practical results at a high competency level.
- Students who achieve grade C demonstrate satisfactory understanding together with adequate subject application.
- The student demonstrates Grade D-level achievement by possessing basic comprehension skills along with minimal application abilities of required competencies.
- Grade E represents elementary achievement level which indicates restricted knowledge application and limited understanding of the subject material.
The grading reform seeks to create comprehensive assessments by evaluating students practical ability instead of focusing only on memorization-based learning.
The UNEB has stated that grade descriptors describe the abilities certificate holders possess while the subject final ratings result from a combination of Continuous Assessment and End-of-Cycle scores.
The new grading system begins a new era by abandoning stanine grading to provide students with a detailed assessment of their capabilities and developmental areas.
The UNEB seeks to build student effort alongside practical learning engagement throughout education through the combination of continuous assessment with final examinations.
Educators and stakeholders will closely follow the educational impact of this grading system on learning outcomes and overall educational standards across Uganda for the very first students enrolled in the Competency-Based Curriculum. The UNEB continues to work on developing assessment methods which correspond with modern educational goals and changing student requirements.
