Grade 10 SBA and the KCBE: How 15, 15 and 70 Percent Add Up

Grade 10 SBA is the first piece of the final senior school result, and the numbers behind it are simpler than the rumours. According to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), the School-Based Assessment done in Grade 10 contributes 15 percent of a learner's final score, Grade 11 SBA contributes another 15 percent, and the summative assessment at the end of Grade 12 carries the remaining 70 percent. That final result is the Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE), which replaces the KCSE for learners on the competency-based curriculum.

This guide explains how the 15, 15 and 70 split works, shows the arithmetic with a worked example, and is honest about what KNEC has not yet published. That last part matters, because a lot of what is circulating on WhatsApp about "Grade 10 grades" is guesswork. If you want the full 2026 Grade 10 SBA timeline first, our Grade 10 SBA parent guide has the dates and the checklist.

Information current as of the end of Term 3, October 2026. KNEC may publish further details of the KCBE before Grade 12; where a new circular differs from this page, the circular wins.

Key takeaways

Sponsored Watch Monday, Again: a 2-minute school story

• KNEC has stated that Grade 10 SBA counts for 15 percent, Grade 11 SBA for 15 percent and the Grade 12 summative assessment for 70 percent of the final KCBE score (reported by The Star, June 2026).
• So continuous assessment across Grades 10 and 11 is worth 30 percent in total. The single biggest slice, 70 percent, is still ahead of every Grade 10 learner.
• In plain arithmetic, every 10 marks gained or lost in Grade 10 SBA moves the final score by 1.5 marks. Every 10 marks in the Grade 12 assessment moves it by 7.
• KNEC has not yet published the KCBE grading scale or the exact conversion from subject scores to the final certificate. Treat any "Grade 10 grade" you see online with caution.

What the Grade 10 SBA 15 percent actually means

School-Based Assessment (SBA) is assessment done in the learner's own school, using tools and scoring guides that KNEC provides, with the scores uploaded to KNEC's Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) portal. For the 2026 Grade 10 cohort, SBA had two parts. Projects and practicals were released to schools from 2 July 2026. Written tests in 17 subjects were made available to schools on the CBA portal from 5 October 2026, with KNEC's August circular asking schools to administer, score and upload them by 23 October 2026. KNEC's earlier schedule set 31 October 2026 as the final date for Grade 10 SBA scores on the portal.

When KNEC says Grade 10 SBA "contributes 15 percent", it means this year's assessed work makes up 15 parts out of every 100 in the final score. It is not a pass mark and it is not a grade. It is a share. The Star's June 2026 report on Grade 10 registration put it directly: the Grade 10 and Grade 11 school-based assessments will each make up 15 percent of final scores, 30 percent combined, while the Grade 12 summative exam carries the remaining 70 percent.

The Grade 10 SBA arithmetic, worked step by step

KNEC has published the weighting but not the full formula for turning subject scores into the certificate. The example below is therefore an illustration of the weighting only, using simple percentages, so you can see how much each year can move the result. It is not KNEC's official method.

Take Achieng, a Grade 10 learner in Kisumu (a made-up example). Suppose, in one subject, she averages 60 percent in her Grade 10 SBA, 70 percent in Grade 11 SBA and 75 percent in the Grade 12 assessment.

1. Grade 10 slice: 60 percent of the 15 available points is 0.60 × 15 = 9 points.
2. Grade 11 slice: 70 percent of 15 is 0.70 × 15 = 10.5 points.
3. Grade 12 slice: 75 percent of 70 is 0.75 × 70 = 52.5 points.
4. Total: 9 + 10.5 + 52.5 = 72 out of 100.

Now look at what happens if Achieng had scored 80 percent in Grade 10 instead of 60. Her Grade 10 slice becomes 12 points, and her total rises from 72 to 75. A 20-mark improvement in Grade 10 SBA moved the final result by 3 marks. The same 20-mark improvement in the Grade 12 assessment would move it by 14.

Two lessons follow, and they pull in opposite directions. First, Grade 10 SBA is real: 15 points cannot be earned again later, and a learner who coasted through 2026 has given some of them away. Second, it is not the end of the story. Whatever happened this year, 85 out of every 100 points are still ahead. A learner who had a weak Grade 10 has every reason to work, not every reason to despair.

What KNEC has published, and what it has not

Because this is the first cohort, parents are being asked to trust a system nobody has seen from start to finish. It helps to separate what is confirmed from what is still open.

If you see a chart online claiming to show "Grade 10 grades" or a points table for the KCBE, check whether it links to a KNEC document. In October 2026 we could not find one. The safest position is the one KNEC itself has taken publicly: 15, 15, 70, with details to follow.

How to use the Grade 10 SBA result at home

Your child's school may share Grade 10 SBA results, end-of-year results or both. Whatever arrives in your hands, use it as a map for 2027 rather than a verdict on 2026.

1. Ask for subject-level feedback, not just a summary. A single overall comment hides the subject that needs help. Ask each subject teacher, or the class teacher, which strands were weakest.
2. Separate the core from the pathway. Every Grade 10 learner takes seven subjects: four core (English, Kiswahili or Kenyan Sign Language, Mathematics and Community Service Learning) and three pathway subjects. Mathematics is Core Mathematics in STEM and Essential Mathematics in the other pathways. List the seven and mark each one strong, steady or weak.
3. Look at projects and written tests separately. A learner who scored well on written tests but poorly on a project usually lost marks on evidence and documentation, not on knowledge. That is fixable in Grade 11.
4. Pick two subjects for the December holiday, not seven. The holiday runs from 26 October 2026 to 1 January 2027 on the Ministry of Education calendar. Ten weeks is long, but two clear targets beat seven vague ones.
5. Write it down. Keep this year's report, test scripts and project file in one envelope. Because nobody has gone through senior school under this system before, your own file may be the most complete record your child has.

For the revision itself, our Grade 10 notes by pathway set out each subject's content, and the Grade 10 study hub collects notes, revision papers and marking schemes in one place.

What one learner's year looks like

Take Kiprono, a Grade 10 learner in the Social Sciences pathway in Eldoret (another made-up example). His written tests in History and Citizenship and Geography went well. His Essential Mathematics written test was weak, and his Community Service Learning project file was thin because the group lost its logbook halfway through Term 2. On paper, that looks like a bad year in two subjects. In the arithmetic above, it is a dent of a few points in two slices worth 15 percent each. His parents sit with him in November, list the seven subjects, and agree on two holiday goals: one Essential Mathematics strand a week, and a personal CSL reflection journal that he keeps for every service activity from now on, so that no Grade 11 project is ever scored on a missing logbook again. That is the right response. Grade 10 told the family where the gaps are while there is still 85 percent of the result left to earn.

Common mistakes parents make about Grade 10 SBA

• Treating it as a mock. It is not a practice round. It is a recorded share of the final certificate.
• Treating it as final. The opposite mistake. A weak Grade 10 is a 15 percent problem, not a 100 percent one.
• Calling Mathematics optional. It is not. Every Grade 10 learner takes Mathematics as a core subject, either Core Mathematics (STEM) or Essential Mathematics (the other pathways).
• Believing unofficial grade tables. KNEC has not published a KCBE grading table. A table without a KNEC source is someone's guess.
• Forgetting Community Service Learning. CSL is a core subject and its project is assessed. Families who focus only on "exam subjects" miss it.
• Waiting until Grade 12. With 30 percent decided by SBA in Grades 10 and 11, the habits of 2027 matter as much as the exam of 2028.

Where Grade 10 SBA fits in senior school

If you are still getting used to how senior school is organised, our explainer on what actually changes from Grade 9 to Grade 10 is a good starting point, and the complete guide to the Grade 10 pathways explains the three pathways and how subjects are grouped. For the KNEC side of the 2026 assessment, including the portal and the deadlines, see KNEC's Grade 10 SBA schedule. When your child has a question about a specific strand over the holiday, Somo, our CBC AI tutor, can explain it in English or Kiswahili.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Grade 10 SBA count towards the final result?

According to KNEC, Grade 10 SBA counts for 15 percent of the final score at the end of Grade 12. Grade 11 SBA counts for another 15 percent, and the Grade 12 summative assessment for 70 percent.

What is the KCBE?

The Kenya Certificate of Basic Education is the certificate awarded at the end of Grade 12 under competency-based education. It replaces the KCSE for this cohort, and the first KCBE results are expected after the Grade 12 assessment in 2028.

Can a bad Grade 10 SBA score be replaced in Grade 11?

No official mechanism for replacing it has been announced. Each year's SBA is its own 15 percent slice. A strong Grade 11 and Grade 12 can outweigh a weak Grade 10, but they do not delete it.

Will my child get a Grade 10 SBA result slip from KNEC?

We have not found any KNEC announcement of a Grade 10 result slip for learners. Schools hold their own records of the work they scored, so ask your child's school what feedback it will give you.

Is there a pass mark for Grade 10?

KNEC has not announced a pass mark for Grade 10 SBA. Under competency-based assessment, learners are reported by performance level rather than pass or fail, and KNEC has not yet published the full KCBE grading scale.

Does every subject's SBA count the same way?

KNEC has not published the subject-by-subject conversion. What is known is that SBA covered projects and practicals and, in 17 subjects, written tests, and that ICT and Physical Education were assessed at school level.

Is Mathematics compulsory in Grade 10?

Yes. Mathematics is one of the four core subjects every learner takes. STEM learners take Core Mathematics and learners in the other pathways take Essential Mathematics.

Conclusion

Grade 10 SBA counts for 15 percent of the final KCBE score, Grade 11 for another 15 and the Grade 12 assessment for 70. That makes 2026 a real but limited deposit: every 10 marks in Grade 10 SBA is worth 1.5 marks at the end, and 85 percent of the result is still to be earned. Use whatever feedback the school gives you to pick two clear holiday goals, keep the year's records in one place, and do not trust any KCBE grade table that does not come from KNEC. The Grade 10 study hub has the notes and papers for the holiday, and we will update this guide when KNEC publishes the full KCBE grading rules.

Sources: KNEC Grade 10 SBA weighting and 2027 pilot plan, as reported by The Star, 25 June 2026; KNEC August 2026 circular on Grade 10 written tests, as reported by Kenyans.co.ke; four core subjects from the KICD notice of 23 December 2025.