BECE grading system and aggregate calculator
WAEC grades every BECE subject from 1 (highest) to 9 (lowest) using the stanine method, so a grade shows where a candidate stands against all others in that subject. The placement aggregate is the four core grades plus the two best elective grades, which makes the best possible aggregate 6 and the worst 54. Choose your grades below to see yours.
Last checked 8 October 2026. Every figure below names its source.
BECE grading at a glance
Checked 8 October 2026- Scale
- 1 to 91 is the highest performance, 9 the lowest
- WAEC Ghana
- Marks that make the grade
- 30% school, 70% examContinuous assessment and the external examination
- WAEC Ghana
- Subjects in the placement aggregate
- 4 core + 2 best electives
- Ministry of Education
- Best and worst possible aggregate
- 6 and 54Six grades, each from 1 to 9. Our arithmetic, not a WAEC figure.
- Our own count of the register
Calculate your BECE aggregate
The calculator runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It adds the grades you enter and says nothing about whether the total is good, because no official source sets a pass mark. The elective subjects shown are the BECE subjects WAEC lists apart from the four core ones.
What each grade means
WAEC’s own table. The share is the part of all candidates in a subject who receive that grade.
| Grade | Share of candidates | WAEC's description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4% | Highest performance |
| 2 | 7% | Higher performance |
| 3 | 12% | High performance |
| 4 | 17% | High average |
| 5 | 20% | Average |
| 6 | 17% | Low average |
| 7 | 12% | Low performance |
| 8 | 7% | Lower performance |
| 9 | 4% | Lowest performance |
From WAEC’s press statement on concerns about BECE grading, 10 August 2026, read on 8 October 2026.
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Questions people ask
- How is BECE graded in 2026?
- WAEC grades each BECE subject on a nine-point scale, with grade 1 the highest and grade 9 the lowest. In its press statement of 10 August 2026 it says it uses the stanine, or standard nine, system, which reports a candidate's performance relative to all candidates in that subject. The top 4% of scores get grade 1, the next 7% grade 2, then 12%, 17%, 20%, 17%, 12%, 7%, and the last 4% get grade 9.
- How is the BECE grading done?
- Candidates are graded on their performance in the external examination and on the continuous assessment marks their schools provide. WAEC says continuous assessment forms 30% and the external examination 70% of the total. It adds that it does not run different marking schemes or grading systems for public and private schools.
- How is grading calculated?
- Within each subject, all candidates are treated as one group and ranked by their combined mark. WAEC then gives grade 1 to the top 4%, grade 2 to the next 7% and so on down the table on this page. A grade is therefore a relative position, not a fixed percentage score.
- How is BECE aggregate calculated?
- The 2026 CSSPS guidelines say placement uses the aggregate from the four core subjects, which are English, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies, plus the two best grades from the elective subjects. Add the six grades. The calculator on this page does that sum.
- What is the lowest score in BECE?
- Grade 9 is the lowest grade on WAEC's scale. Because the aggregate is the sum of six grades from 1 to 9, the best possible aggregate is 6 and the worst is 54. A lower aggregate is the better result.
- Is 7 a pass in BECE?
- WAEC describes grade 7 as low performance. WAEC publishes no pass mark for the BECE, so a grade or an aggregate is not a pass or a fail.
- Is B grade pass or fail?
- The BECE is graded with numbers, 1 to 9, not letters, so there is no B grade. Letters belong to the WASSCE, which has its own page.
- Is aggregate 17 good in BECE?
- WAEC publishes no good or bad band for an aggregate. What matters for placement is competition: CSSPS places candidates by merit against the vacancies each school declares, and when candidates have the same aggregate the guidelines break the tie using the four core subjects. Our placement page explains how the eight choices work.
- Is aggregate 21 good in BECE?
- The same answer applies: there is no official good or bad band, and the result depends on the schools you choose and their vacancies. Use the placement guide and the official CSSPS portal rather than a rule of thumb.
Source: WAEC Ghana and Ministry of Education, 2026.