2025 BECE begins Wednesday with over 600,000 candidates

A total of 603,328 candidates across the country are set to sit the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), scheduled from Wednesday, June 11, to Wednesday, June 18, 2025.

The 297,250 males and 306,078 females are the first batch of students seeking to benefit from the Free Senior High School (FSHS) Policy under the new government.

The number of candidates who registered for this year's BECE for School Candidates (SC) makes up 5.99 per cent, an increment over the 2024 entry figure of 569,236. 

With regard to the BECE for Private Candidates, a total of 1,661 candidates - 858 males and 803 females - were recorded.

This year's figure is 19.49 per cent higher than the 2024 entry figure of 1,390.

The BECE for School Candidates will be conducted at 2,237 examination centres across the country, while 15 centres in the regional capitals will be used for the BECE for Private Candidates.

Two papers

The week-long examination will see the school candidates write two papers daily at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.

In all, the BECE comprises 11 subjects, with each candidate writing an average of nine, including seven common core courses --- English Language, Mathematics, Science, Ghanaian Language, Social Studies, Religious and Moral Education, and Creative Arts and Design, as well as Career Technology.

Preparation

Speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, said timetables had already been distributed to schools while all examination materials had been dispatched to the various metropolitan and district education offices nationwide.

He mentioned that school and private candidates will write the same set of questions.

He said that while school candidates will write at designated centres within their schools, private candidates will take their papers in Tema, Gambaga and the various regional capitals.

To ensure the integrity of the examination, the director-general said supervision would be jointly conducted by the GES and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), with support from the law enforcement agencies, particularly the Ghana Police Service.

He cautioned all stakeholders, especially invigilators and supervisors, against aiding any form of examination malpractice.

“Anyone caught will be severely punished. I repeat, it might cost them their job because we want good role models,” he warned.

He emphasised that examination malpractice undermined the education system and made it difficult to assess the true performance of students.

“We don’t want students who have excelled by cheating their way through. That is not the quality and the kind of students Ghana needs,” he added.

Prof. Davis commended teachers, head teachers and parents for their dedication and support in preparing candidates for the examination and urged students to believe in their abilities and work hard.

“I know they can make it if they apply themselves to their books and prepare very well for the exam. I wish all my students all the best in the 2025 BECE,” he concluded.

WAEC

Meanwhile, WAEC has stated that just like the 2024 BECE, School Candidates and some of the Private Candidates will be examined on the core curriculum, while other private candidates will be examined on the old syllabus.

“We wish to notify all prospective private candidates that this will be the last time private candidates will be examined on the old syllabus.

“The council has made reasonable adjustments to make its examinations accessible to candidates with special educational needs.

Heads of school, parents and guardians should rest assured that adequate provision has been made to ensure that no child is left behind as far as the examination is concerned,” a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, said.

The council, it said, wished to remind all stakeholders of the revised Rules and Regulations for dealing with cases of irregularity in the council's examinations, which had been in operation since 2023.

The revision includes new rules on “having inscriptions on any part of the body or clothing,” “Posting Live Questions on the Internet,” “Refusal to grant timely access into the school premises,” “Misconduct of examination officials,” and “Multiple registration of candidates in both public and private schools”.