Knec refutes claims 60% of KCSE, KCPE questions are repeated

The Kenya National Examination Council has dismissed claims by a researcher from the Zizi Afrique Foundation that 60 per cent of the questions tested in national exams are repeated.

KNEC CEO David Njeng’ere in an interview with the Star on Tuesday said the claims are false. 

"This person making this claim did not produce any evidence. It is very difficult to respond to allegations that have no evidence. She needed to have produced evidence. Those claims are not true unless there is clear evidence. If there is a study, or research that has been done, let us see it," the KNEC boss said. 

Njeng'ere was responding to a researcher with the Zizi Afrique Foundation who claimed that 60 per cent of all the questions examined during KCSE and KCPE are repeated each year. 

Dr Purity  Ngina, from the Zizi Afrique, said many always assess the cheating that might have taken place after the exam, but many never look into the questions that were tested. 

"One of the things I have not seen is people analysing the questions. Because one of the things you will realise if you go through the KCPE or the KCSE exam papers is that 60 per cent of the questions are repeated," Ngina said. 

"And actually, most of the questions are even repeated word by word."

Ngina spoke on Tuesday during an interview with Citizen TV.

Ngina said for schools that can invest in people who can do their analysis of the questions from previous national exams, then their learners will be sure to get at least 60 per cent of the total marks per subject. 

She said there are learners and teachers in big schools who have taken note of the trend and are investing in it. 

Ngina said the findings were even shared in 2022 during a conference organised by all the assessment bodies in Africa. 

"Knec were even represented at the conference and the findings were shared there that 60 per cent of our questions here in Kenya are repeated," she said.

The researcher added that some questions were not only repeated word for word but were also placed in the same position they had been placed in previous years.

"So if it's question 1 in History this year, you find the same question two years later is question 1 in History," she said.

Ngina termed it a failure by the people setting exams to have the same questions repeated year in and year out during national exams. 

However, she acknowledged that there are questions the examiner needs to set and there are ways the exams are set.

"But I think we need to be getting outside the box," Ngina said. 

Already, form four candidates across the country have started their 2023 KCSE exams.

The candidates started their exams on Monday with practical papers. 903,260 candidates have been registered for this year's KCSE. 

The candidates shall sit their practical papers the entire week until Friday, October 27. 

The practical exams include orals for French, German,  Arabic, Kenya Sign Language and music. 

Home Science students will do their practicals between October 30 and 31. 

From November 1, candidates will sit for several exams in the morning, including French (Listening Comprehension, dictation, and Creative Writing), Braille, German,  Arabic, Arabic, Large print, Kenyan Sign Language (Receptive Skills), and Music.

The KCSE exams will end on November 24 with Physics practicals.

Additionally, there are 1.4 million candidates set to sit the KCPE exams.

The rehearsal date for KCPE and KPSEA is set for Friday, October 27.

Exams for both KCPE and KPSEA will begin on Monday, October 30, and end on Wednesday, November 1.

The 2023 KCPE examinations will mark the end of the 8-4-4 system in primary schools.