KJSEA yearGrade 9

Grade 9 Integrated Science: What the CBC Curriculum Covers and How It Is Assessed

Integrated Science combines chemistry, biology, physics and, since 2024, health education. It has five lessons a week in Grade 9 and a suggested 150 lessons a year. For learners thinking about the STEM pathway, it is one of the most important learning areas. This guide is current as of October 2026.

What the Grade 9 Design Covers

StrandSub-strands (suggested lessons)
1.0 Mixtures, Elements and CompoundsStructure of the atom (14); metals and alloys (16); water hardness (14)
2.0 Living Things and the EnvironmentNutrition in plants (18); nutrition in animals (16); reproduction in plants (20); the interdependence of life (18)
3.0 Force and EnergyCurved mirrors (18); waves (16)

Source: KICD Grade 9 curriculum designs. The design uses only the first 20 elements and does not introduce the full periodic table at this level. It suggests projects such as modelling atoms from locally available materials. Reproduction in plants is the longest sub-strand.

How Integrated Science Is Assessed in KJSEA

Integrated Science is the only Grade 9 learning area with two written papers on two different days:

  • 905/1: Thursday 29 October 2026, 8.30–10.10 a.m. (1 hour 40 minutes).
  • 905/2: Friday 30 October 2026, 2.00–3.00 p.m. (1 hour).

Make sure your child knows about the Friday afternoon paper. It comes after Pre-Technical Studies and Religious Education that morning, and it is easy to forget.

Revision Tips for Parents

  • Draw it. Electron arrangements, flower parts, food chains and ray diagrams for mirrors are all drawn questions. Practise labelled diagrams.
  • Science in the kitchen. Hard and soft water (soap lather), metals and rusting, and mirrors such as a shiny spoon make good discussion points.
  • Explain, don’t recite. Ask your child to explain a process, like photosynthesis, to you in their own words.
  • Prepare for both papers. Plan revision so that energy and waves topics are fresh for the second paper.

See the KJSEA 2026 timetable, how to help your child revise, how KJSEA is graded and subject combinations for senior school. Back to the Grade 9 hub.

Sources

  • KICD Grade 9 curriculum designs, junior school designs first published 2024 (strands and suggested lessons as printed).
  • KNEC, 2026 KJSEA Timetable and Instructions (ref. KNEC/TD/SE/KJSEA/TT/2026/003).