Grade 10 is the pioneer senior school cohort. That is the single most important fact about revising for it, and it is why the usual advice does not apply.
There is no deep archive of Grade 10 past papers, because there has not yet been a full cycle of them. Learners cannot revise by working through ten years of previous questions the way an older system allowed. Format-accurate prediction and revision papers are therefore more useful at Grade 10 than at any other level.
Why Grade 10 marks count already
Under the Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE), the senior school result is built over three years. Grade 10 school-based assessment (SBA) makes up 15% of the final result, Grade 11 SBA another 15%, and the Grade 12 summative assessment the remaining 70%. In other words, what your child does in Grade 10 is not a warm-up. Schools upload Grade 10 SBA scores to the KNEC CBA portal by 31 October 2026, and Term 3 closes on Friday 23 October, so the next two weeks matter. Our Grade 10 SBA schedule guide explains the deadline in more detail.
Revise by pathway, not by the whole curriculum
Senior school splits into pathways, and a Grade 10 learner is not assessed on everything. Revision should follow the subjects actually taken:
| Pathway | Typical focus | Where marks are won |
|---|---|---|
| STEM | Mathematics, sciences, technical subjects | Method, working shown, diagrams labelled |
| Social Sciences | Humanities, languages, business | Command words, points matched to marks |
| Arts and Sports Science | Creative and performance subjects | Practical understanding, precise terminology |
Every pathway keeps the core subjects, so English, Kiswahili and Mathematics carry weight for everyone. If time is short, those are the ones that pay across the board.
Subject by subject: how to prepare
English
Most lost marks come from comprehension answers that are not supported by the passage, and from compositions that wander away from the question. Practise underlining the evidence line before answering, and plan every composition in five lines before writing it. Read the question twice and check the required format, such as a letter, report or speech.
Kiswahili
Treat Kiswahili the same way: careful reading of the passage, then answers in full sentences. For grammar (sarufi), short daily drills work better than one long session. For insha, keep to the format asked and use the vocabulary the learner is sure of rather than risky phrases.
Mathematics
Working earns marks even when the final answer is wrong. Train your child to write every step. A short practice example (our own, not an official item): solve x² minus 5x plus 6 equals 0. A full answer factorises to (x minus 2)(x minus 3) equals 0, then states x equals 2 or x equals 3. A learner who writes only "2 and 3" may lose the method marks a marking scheme gives for the factorisation.
Sciences and technical subjects
Label every diagram, give units with every number, and use the exact scientific term rather than an everyday word. When a question says "explain", one fact is rarely enough; give the fact and the reason.
Social Sciences subjects
Command words decide the marks. "State" wants a short point; "describe" wants detail; "explain" wants a reason; "discuss" wants more than one side. Count the marks and give at least that many distinct points.
Arts and Sports Science subjects
Written papers here reward correct terminology and the ability to describe a process clearly. Practical work and portfolios are often assessed over the term, so keep them up to date alongside written revision.
What good Grade 10 practice looks like
- Full papers under time, not loose questions. Stamina is a skill.
- Marking schemes that show the split, so a learner sees where the marks sat.
- Answers kept separate from the questions.
- Written method in every calculation. An answer with no working scores a fraction of what it could.
Our guide to marking a paper at home applies directly here, and it needs no subject expertise for the two passes that matter most.
For a closer look at what each subject's end of term paper is likely to ask, see Grade 10 end of Term 3 exams: what to revise by subject, and for notes organised by pathway, our Grade 10 notes by pathway guide.
Do not ignore the project work
Senior school carries assessed project and service components alongside written work. Those marks are earned across the term and cannot be recovered in the final fortnight. If your learner has a Community Service Learning project, it deserves calendar time now rather than in the week before it is due.
Our Grade 10 CSL project guide breaks the project into small steps that fit around exam revision.
What exists for Grade 10 right now
There are over two hundred Grade 10 items in the library, subject by subject: lesson notes, revision papers, end of term exams, marking schemes, schemes of work and assessment rubrics. Two routes are usually better value than buying them one at a time:
- The Grade 10 Complete Revision and Exam Kit, which bundles notes, revision, exams and answers across subjects.
- The Grade 10 Term 3 Complete Bundle for the current term's exam revision.
Families revising for more than one child often find the CBCEduKenya Plus membership cheaper than buying separate packs, because it covers every grade in the library rather than one.
A realistic weekly plan
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Weeknights | 90 minutes: review yesterday's errors, one weak topic, end with questions |
| Saturday | One full timed paper, marked the same day |
| Sunday | Rest, or project work if a deadline is close |
For the wider senior school picture, our six week countdown structure adapts cleanly to Grade 10, because the principle is the same: diagnose first, practise under time, mark honestly, and protect the last week for rest.
After the exams: the road to Grade 11
Grade 11 begins in January 2027. KICD released the approved Grade 11 textbook list on 6 October 2026, and the compulsory Grade 11 subjects are English, Kiswahili, Physical Education and Community Service Learning, plus Mathematics (Core or Essential). Whatever pathway your child is on, the core subjects continue, so any gaps in English, Kiswahili or Mathematics found in this term's papers are worth closing over the December holiday.
Frequently asked questions
Are Grade 10 prediction papers the real exam?
No. They are independent practice papers written to match the expected format. Any paper sold as "leaked" should be treated as a scam.
Should my child revise every Grade 10 subject?
Only the subjects they actually take, plus English, Kiswahili and Mathematics, which every pathway keeps.
How many practice papers are enough?
Quality beats quantity. One full timed paper a week, properly marked and corrected, does more than several papers skimmed without marking.
Do Grade 10 marks affect the final result?
Yes. Grade 10 school-based assessment counts for 15% of the final KCBE result.
To give your child format-accurate practice in every subject they take, start with the Grade 10 Complete Revision and Exam Kit.
GRADE 10: Term 3 Complete Bundle
A 41-page all-subjects start pack, plus notes, revision papers, end of term exams and marking schemes for every subject, as separate PDFs. Built for the written SBA tests and end of year exams. Sent to your email and order page once your M-Pesa payment is confirmed.
⏳ Grade 10 SBA scores are due on the KNEC portal by 31 October. Start revising now.
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