The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has released the dates and timetable for the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary education (KCSE).
KNEC said the KCPE exams which has a candidature enrolment of 1,187,517 will begin on Monday, March 22, 2021 and end on Wednesday, March 24, 2021.
The pupils are expected to rehearse for the national tests on Friday, March 19, 2021.
Day one which will fall on a Monday, March 22, 2021, the candidates will sit for Mathematics paper between 8:30am and 10:30am. Between 11:30am and 1:10pm, the learners will write English Grammar exam before completing the first day of national tests by writing English Composition from 2:30pm to 3:10pm.
Day Two of KCPE — Tuesday, March 23, 2021 — will see the candidates sit for their Science paper from 8:30am to 10:10am. Between 11:10am and 12:50pm, the pupils will write Kiswahili Lugha exam. In the afternoon, between 2:10pm and 2:50pm, the candidates will write Kiswahili Insha paper.
On the last day of the 2020 KCPE exam — Wednesday, March 24, 2021 — the pupils will sit for Social Studies and Religious Education tests between 8:30am and 10:45am.
For visually-impaired pupils, they will be added an additional 30 minutes for exams that last two hours, and ten minutes for English Composition and Kiswahili Insha.
The KCSE candidates will kick off their exams on Monday, March 8, 2021, and Friday, March 12, 2021 by starting with French Orals, German Orals, Arabic Orals and Kenyan Sign Language.
However, projects for Art and Design, Agriculture, Woodwork, Metalwork, Building and Construction and Computer Science will be submitted in before January 31, 2021.
All KCSE candidates will then undergo their rehearsals on Thursday, March 25, 2021, before commencing with written exams on Friday, March 26, 2021, up to Wednesday, April 21, 2021.
The 2021 KCSE Exam Calendar
Friday, March 26, English Functional Skills and English (Comprehension, Literary Appreciation and Grammar).
Monday, March 29, Mathematics Paper 1 and Chemistry Paper 1.
Tuesday, March 30, English (Composition and Essay) and Chemistry Paper 2.
Wednesday, March 31, Kiswahili (Insha) and Kiswahili (Lugha).
On Thursday, April 1, they will sit for Chemistry practicals, while on Tuesday, April 6 they will take on Mathematics Paper 2 and Biology Paper 1.
Wednesday, April 7, Kiswahili Paper 3 and Religious exams Paper 1.
Thursday, April 8, Biology Paper 2 and History and Government Paper 1.
Friday, April 9, Biology Practicals followed on Monday, April 12 by Religious exams Paper 2 and History and Government Paper 2.
Tuesday, April 13, will be Physics Paper 1 and Geography Paper 1.
Wednesday, April 14, Business Studies Paper 1 and Agriculture Paper 1.
Thursday, April 15, Physics Paper 2 and Geography Paper 2.
Friday, April 16, Physics Practicals while Monday, April 19 will be Business Studies Paper 2 and Agriculture Paper 2.
From Tuesday, April 20 to Wednesday, April 21, the candidates will sit for Home Science Paper, Art Design, Woodwork, Building Construction, Power Mechanics, Electricity, Aviation, Drawing and Design and Computer Studies written exams.
Initially, before the 2020 Academic Calendar was interrupted by coronavirus pandemic, the KCPE exams were to be taken between October 27, 2020 and October 29, 2020.
The announcement of the new exam dates a day after Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha said in a press address Monday, November 16 that the remaining classes of basic learning institutions will resume studies on January 4, 2021.