The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has brought forward by a month, the dates for the sitting of the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination.
The WASSCE for school candidates will be conducted from Monday, July 31 to September 26, 2023.
Also, the BECE for both school and private candidates for this year will be written simultaneously from Monday, August 7 to Friday, August 11, 2023.
While the 2022 WASSCE took place from Monday, August 1 to Tuesday, September 27, the BECE was written from October 17 to 21.
Head of Public Affairs of WAEC, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, said the schedule, particularly for the WASSCE, would be for only candidates in Ghana.
The timetable for these two examinations were disrupted in 2020 after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which compelled the government to close down schools and all other public gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of the disease.
Mrs. Teye-Cudjoe said the portal for the registration of eligible candidates for the WASSCE for school candidates had been opened, and that it would close on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.
The council, she said, had held briefing sessions nationwide for the authorities of 978 schools who were expected to present candidates for the examination, and that during the briefing sessions, it was emphasised that school authorities should take note of the requirements during the registration process.
“The council will make test accommodation arrangements for candidates who cannot be assessed by the standard procedures set out because of disability or special educational needs requests should be forwarded to the council by Tuesday, May 2, 2023,” she said.
“The grading for the WASSCE SC is 70 per cent external examination score and 30 per cent continuous assessment score.
She said, it was against the rules and regulations to register ‘remedial’ students who had previously written the WASSCE and join some public/accredited private schools in form three for examination purposes only, and that such students were being advised to register for the WASSCE for private candidates.
The Head of Public Affairs of WAEC informed the public that the approved WAEC registration fee for entry in seven or eight subjects was GH¢381.24, and that the figure was exclusive of the fees for practical or oral tests, which ranged between GH¢14.50 and GH¢19.50 per practical test.
On the BECE for school and private candidates, she said the council would hold briefing sessions for all stakeholders who would be involved in the registration of candidates from March 21 to 24, 2023, and that “the registration portal for the registration of eligible candidates will be opened from Monday, March 27 to Friday, April 28, 2023”.
“As indicated earlier, it is important for all candidates to ensure that their bio-data are captured accurately, and that they are registered for the correct subjects,” she emphasised.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri