The assessment for various subjects will begin on Monday, October 28 with students sitting for their Mathematics and English papers.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) on Wednesday, October 16 released the timetable for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), an evaluation test for Grade Six pupils before they can proceed to junior secondary school.
The exams, according to the schedule, will begin with a rehearsal on Friday, October 25, 2024, followed by the main examination, which will run from Monday, October 28, 2024, to Wednesday, October 30, 2024.
The assessment for various subjects will begin on Monday, October 28 with students sitting for their Mathematics and English papers.
On Tuesday, October 29, Grade Six students will sit for Integrated Science and Kiswahili papers. Creative Arts & Social Studies will be the last paper and undertaken during the morning hours of Wednesday, October 30.
Rules
Further, KNEC spelt out stringent guidelines that will be followed during the national assessment. For example, supervisors were directed that the time allowed for each paper is indicated against the name of the paper and no extra time is to be allowed.
Photo of KNEC offices in Nairobi. /NAIROBI LEO
“Time for reading through questions is part of the time shown on the question paper except where special paper instructions indicate differently,” KNEC noted.
Also, no student will be allowed to leave the examination room when the papers are being done unless when given special permission by the supervisor, with the exam council also banning any form of communication between candidates or with outsiders during the assessment.
Students were also warned against leaving a sheet of paper they have written on or their answers in such a position that another candidate can read them, and that they should not give or obtain unfair assistance, or attempt to do so, whether by copying or in any other way, and “your work should not show proof of such unfair assistance.”
“You are not allowed to have in your possession or in your proximity while in the assessment room, any book, notes, papers or any other materials whatsoever except the correct question papers and any materials expressly authorized by the Kenya National Examinations Council,” added KNEC.
Additionally, the candidates were warned against engaging in exam malpractice. “A candidate who commits an assessment irregularity in any paper will have the results for the whole subject cancelled. Such a candidate will not be entitled to a result for the subject. This will be reflected as (00),” KNEC warned.
“If there is evidence of widespread irregularities in any assessment centre, the assessment results for the whole centre will be cancelled.”
Hefty Fines
Kenyans risk paying a fine of Ksh2 million or two years imprisonment if they gain access to the assessment material and reveal its content whether orally or in writing, to an unauthorized party, whether a candidate or not.
“In violation of Section 27 of the KNEC Act, the penalty will be imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years, or a fine not exceeding Ksh2 million or both”, reads part of the notice. Additionally, anyone who willfully and maliciously damages assessment material will be subjected to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or a fine not exceeding Ksh5 million or both.
KNEC is also plotting to crack down on Kenyans who plan to impersonate candidates or sit for the exams and are not registered to take a KNEC assessment.  Anyone found engaging in such practice will be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding Ksh2 million or both.Â
They shall also be prohibited from taking an assessment conducted by or on behalf of the Council for three years. According to the Examining body, these penalties extend to the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
The KPSEA is a component of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and signifies the completion of Grade 6 education for students across the country. It was introduced as part of Kenya’s transition to CBC, which prioritises skill development and practical knowledge over traditional exam-focused learning.
The assessment measures learners’ competencies at the end of their primary education (Grade 6). In 2024, they replaced the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), marking the end of the four-decade 8-4-4 syllabus at the primary school level.
