Last reviewed: 18 October 2026
The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) is the national assessment that Grade 9 learners sit at the end of junior school under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system. It is set and marked by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), and it carries the largest share of the score used to place learners in senior school (Grade 10). This guide explains, in plain terms, what the assessment covers, how results are reported and what parents can do with them. All facts below are as of October 2026 and link to the official or primary source.
On this page
Who Sits KJSEA, and When
Every Grade 9 learner registered by their school sits KJSEA. KNEC registers candidates through schools on its portal, and in the first year it made clear that an eligible learner must exist in the Grade 9 database, have a KPSEA performance report and have school-based assessment scores for Grades 7 and 8 in all learning areas (Daily Nation, quoting KNEC). If your child’s details are wrong, ask the school to correct them early; KNEC said transfers at Grade 9 must be done online before registration closes.
The pioneer KJSEA was sat in November 2025 and results were released on 11 December 2025 (Ministry of Education statement). For 2026, KNEC’s timetable (reference KNEC/TD/SE/KJSEA/TT/2026/003) schedules a rehearsal on Friday 23 October and the written papers from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. See our full KJSEA 2026 timetable for every paper and time.
What KJSEA Tests
KJSEA covers the nine junior school learning areas that remained after the 2024 rationalisation of the curriculum. In 2026 the written papers are:
| Learning area | Paper code(s) | Written paper length |
|---|---|---|
| English (Language; Composition & Literary Analysis) | 901/1, 901/2 | 1 hr 40 min + 1 hr 45 min |
| Kiswahili (Lugha; Insha na Utangulizi wa Fasihi) or Kenyan Sign Language | 902/1, 902/2 or 904/1, 904/2 | 1 hr 40 min + 1 hr 45 min (KSL 1 hr 40 min each) |
| Mathematics | 903 | 2 hrs |
| Integrated Science | 905/1, 905/2 | 1 hr 40 min + 1 hr |
| Agriculture | 906/1 (written), 906/2 (project) | 1 hr 40 min |
| Social Studies | 907 | 1 hr 30 min |
| Religious Education (CRE, IRE or HRE) | 908, 909, 910 | 1 hr 30 min |
| Creative Arts & Sports | 911/1 (project), 911/2 (written) | 1 hr 40 min |
| Pre-Technical Studies | 912/1 (written), 912/2 (project) | 1 hr 40 min |
Source: KNEC 2026 KJSEA Timetable and Instructions. Braille and hearing-impaired versions have longer times, listed in the timetable.
Three learning areas also have a project done in school before the written papers. In 2026 the Creative Arts & Sports project ran for three months from May to July, while the Pre-Technical Studies and Agriculture projects each ran for a month in July. Those projects count, so a learner who skipped project work cannot make it up in October.
How KJSEA Is Graded
KJSEA does not give percentages or a mean grade. Each learning area is reported on an eight-point scale, made by splitting the four CBE performance levels into two. KNEC’s results circular sets out the descriptors:
| Performance level | Sub-level | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Exceeding Expectation | EE1 | 8 |
| EE2 | 7 | |
| Meeting Expectation | ME1 | 6 |
| ME2 | 5 | |
| Approaching Expectation | AE1 | 4 |
| AE2 | 3 | |
| Below Expectation | BE1 | 2 |
| BE2 | 1 |
The Daily Nation reported the mark ranges behind each band: EE1 for 90–100%, EE2 75–89%, ME1 58–74%, ME2 41–57%, AE1 31–40%, AE2 21–30%, BE1 11–20% and BE2 10% and below (Nation, December 2025). We have not seen these ranges in a KNEC document, so treat them as reported rather than official.
KNEC has been firm that there is no aggregate score, no total points and no school mean score in KJSEA (The Star, quoting KNEC). You will still see learners described as scoring “71 points” in the media, because nine learning areas at up to 8 points each add up to 72. That arithmetic is common, but it is not how KNEC reports results, and schools should not rank children by it. Our guide to CBC grading and performance levels covers this in more depth.
How KJSEA Feeds Senior School Placement
KJSEA is the final piece of a three-part score. The Ministry of Education and KNEC use a 60:20:20 split:
- 60% from KJSEA in Grade 9;
- 20% from school-based assessments (SBA) in Grades 7 and 8; and
- 20% from KPSEA, sat in Grade 6.
KNEC chief executive Dr David Njeng’ere set this out to the Daily Nation, and the Education Cabinet Secretary repeated it when releasing the 2025 results. That means about two-fifths of the placement score is already fixed before your child sits a single KJSEA paper. Read school-based assessment explained and KPSEA explained for the other two parts.
Placement itself also weighs the pathway your child chose, their 12 school choices and the space available. The senior school placement and pathways guide explains how it worked for the first cohort.
Results and Result Slips
Schools access candidates’ results on the KNEC portal and print result slips. Parents should check that the name, assessment number and every learning area appear on the slip. If something is missing, raise it with the head teacher straight away; the school deals with KNEC on the learner’s behalf.
The 2025 results also showed the share of learners with potential for each pathway: 59.09% for STEM, 46.52% for Social Sciences and 48.73% for Arts and Sports (TV47, reporting the CS’s statement). The shares add to more than 100% because a learner can show potential for more than one pathway.
Rules Candidates Must Follow
The timetable includes strict instructions. Candidates must be seated 15 minutes before each paper. A candidate more than half an hour late will only be given a paper in exceptional circumstances. Phones and other electronic devices are banned, and a candidate found with one will have their results cancelled. An irregularity in any paper cancels the result for the whole subject, under the KNEC Act, 2012. Remind your child to carry the right pens (black or blue, not erasable), pencils for diagrams and multiple-choice shading, and mathematical instruments.
What Parents Can Do Now
- Check registration. Confirm your child’s name and details with the class teacher.
- Know the dates. Pin the timetable somewhere visible at home.
- Revise little and often. Short daily sessions on past-style questions beat last-minute cramming. Our guide on how to help your child revise for KJSEA has a practical plan.
- Talk about pathways. Results guide placement, but the pathway choice is yours and your child’s. See choosing a senior school pathway.
- Plan for fees. Day senior schools charge parents nothing, but boarding does not. Our senior school fees guide sets out the gazetted amounts.
Sources
- KNEC, 2026 KJSEA Timetable and Instructions (ref. KNEC/TD/SE/KJSEA/TT/2026/003).
- Ministry of Education, Status of the ongoing placement of Grade 9 learners, December 2025.
- KNEC results circular on reporting descriptors, as reproduced by Education News Hub.