First Senior School SBA Written Tests Kick Off for Grade 10 Learners

KNEC Opens CBA Portal for Grade 10 SBA Written Tests, Sets 23rd October Deadline

Grade 10 learners across the country have started the first School Based Assessment (SBA) written tests to be administered in senior school, as secondary schools prepare to close for the third term as early as next week.

The assessments mark a historic milestone for the pioneer Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) cohort, whose performance will now begin to count towards their final Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE) grade.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has released the assessment tools on its Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) portal, where schools can download and administer them to learners.

The release follows a circular issued earlier by the Council, setting out in detail how the third term written tests are to be handled.

The Circular and Its Directives

In a circular dated 14th August 2026, reference KNEC/GEN/TD/SE/G10 SBA/GUI/2026/02, KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere outlined the guidelines and schedule for the 2026 Grade 10 SBA written tests.

The circular specifies when the tools would be made available to schools and the last date by which schools must submit learners’ scores.

According to the schedule, the assessment tools were to be accessed from 5th October 2026, while the last date for uploading scores is 23rd October 2026.

The Council said this information would enable schools to prepare and plan adequately for the exercise.

This is the first SBA written test to be undertaken in senior school by the pioneer CBC learners, who transitioned from junior school at the start of the year.

Subjects Covered

The circular lists the subjects that will be assessed, grouped by pathway.

Under STEM, the subjects are Core Mathematics, Essential Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Computer Studies, Home Science, Agriculture and Electricity.

Under Social Sciences, the subjects are Christian Religious Education (CRE), Hindu Religious Education (HRE), Islamic Religious Education (IRE), Business Studies, History and Citizenship, and Geography.

Under Arts and Sports, the subjects are Sports and Recreation, and Music and Dance.

All three groupings share the same access date of 5th October 2026 and the same deadline for uploading scores, 23rd October 2026.

How Schools Will Access and Administer the Tests

KNEC has laid out a clear procedure for accessing the tools. The written tests will be accessed through the CBA portal at https://cba.knec.ac.ke.

Principals will log in using their school credentials, a username and password, after which a one-time password (OTP) will be sent to the school’s registered phone number.

Schools that encounter password problems have been advised to use the “forgot password” function to reset their credentials.

The circular assigns specific responsibilities. Principals are responsible for downloading the tools that will be administered, and for ensuring that learners are assessed, scored and their results uploaded to the CBA portal within the stipulated time.

Subject teachers are expected to administer the assessment tools, score them and upload the outcomes of all learners within the same timeframe.

To support schools, KNEC has made a detailed user manual available on the portal. It provides step-by-step procedures for accessing the tools, instructions, scoring guides and guidance on uploading learners’ scores.

The Council has also given practical advice on presentation. Assessment tools containing colour images should either be printed in colour or loaded onto digital devices available in the school.

In addition, principals have been asked to keep all records and evidence generated from the assessments, which may be required for verification and reporting purposes.

A Multifaceted Assessment Model

The Grade 10 SBA is designed to be multifaceted, and comprises three components:

• Projects, which focus on real-world problem solving.
• Practicals, which evaluate hands-on skills in various subject areas.
• Written tests, which assess theoretical understanding and cognitive application.

Under the framework, projects and practicals are scheduled to be administered in Term II, between May and September each year.

The final written assessments are slated for Term III, with all tasks expected to be completed and uploaded by October 15, 2026, as set out in the broader assessment framework, while the specific written test schedule in the August circular sets 23rd October 2026 as the last date for uploading scores.

All assessments are accessed directly through the CBA portal, and schools are expected to upload scores promptly so that evidence of each learner’s work is captured for reporting purposes.

Concerns Over Missed Projects and Practicals

While the framework is clear on paper, implementation has not been entirely smooth. Under the design, learners do projects and practicals in the second term, and sit written assessments in the third term. However, most Grade 10 learners did not complete projects and practicals last term.

This gap raises questions about how schools will account for the component of the SBA that was not administered, and how learners’ final SBA scores will be computed in the absence of those results.

Education stakeholders, including school heads and teachers, are likely to look to KNEC for further clarification as the term ends.

The Council has so far indicated that the written tests are being rolled out as scheduled, and schools are expected to focus on administering them within the stipulated window.

The Road to the KCBE

The ultimate goal of these assessment efforts is the issuance of the Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE).

The reporting structure for the certificate departs from traditional systems, as it balances formative assessments conducted throughout the senior years with a final summative assessment.

The contribution to a learner’s final subject grade is structured as follows:

Grade	Assessment Type	Percentage Contribution
Grade 10	School Based Assessments (SBA)	15%
Grade 11	School Based Assessments (SBA)	15%
Grade 12	Summative Assessment	70%

This weighted approach ensures that a learner’s daily effort, creativity and practical mastery, captured through the SBAs in Grades 10 and 11, constitute a significant 30 per cent of the final grade.

The remaining 70 per cent is derived from the summative assessment in Grade 12, creating a comprehensive evaluation system that rewards consistent growth.

For learners and parents, the implication is significant. Unlike the old system, where a single national examination at the end of the cycle determined a candidate’s fate, performance in Grade 10 now carries weight.

Every test, project and practical contributes to the final outcome, which is why schools have been urged to take the exercise seriously and to maintain proper records.

Looking Ahead to 2027

KNEC has already announced that the piloting of the Senior School summative assessment (KCBE) is scheduled for 2027, when the pioneer cohort currently in Grade 10 will have progressed to Grade 11.

This forward-looking approach underscores the Council’s commitment to refining the assessment process based on real-world data and feedback from schools.

The pilot is expected to test the systems, tools and procedures before the first full KCBE examination is administered.

Lessons from the current SBA exercise, including the experiences of schools in accessing the CBA portal, uploading scores and managing assessment tools, will be valuable in shaping the improvements.

By the time the pioneer cohort reaches Grade 12, the systems, teachers and learners are expected to be well versed in the demands of the Competency Based Curriculum, ensuring a smooth transition to higher education or the labour market.

What Schools Should Do Now

With schools set to close next week and the deadline of 23rd October 2026 approaching, the window for completing the exercise is narrow. Principals and subject teachers are therefore advised to:

1. Log in to the CBA portal early and confirm that all school credentials and registered phone numbers are working.
2. Download the tools for all the subjects offered in the school.
3. Print colour tools where required, or prepare digital devices for learners.
4. Administer the tests within the school calendar, then score them using the provided scoring guides.
5. Upload learners’ scores to the portal well before the 23rd October deadline.
6. Keep all records and evidence generated from the assessments.

Consulting the user manual on the portal will help schools avoid errors during uploads.

Conclusion

The start of the Grade 10 SBA written tests is more than a routine end-of-year exercise. It is the first practical test of the new assessment architecture designed for the pioneer CBC cohort, and it sets the tone for how learners will be evaluated in the two years ahead.

For the learners, the tests are the first step towards the 15 per cent contribution that Grade 10 makes to their KCBE grade. For schools, the exercise is a test of readiness, coordination and record keeping.

As the term draws to a close, the success of the exercise will depend on how well principals, teachers and learners follow KNEC’s guidelines, and on how swiftly the outstanding concerns, particularly regarding the projects and practicals that many learners missed, are addressed.

If handled well, the lessons learned will strengthen the assessment system as the country moves towards the first KCBE examinations.