How to Read a KJSEA and KPSEA Marking Scheme (and Stop Losing Easy Marks)

Most parents help their children revise by asking, "did you get the right answer?" But in KJSEA and KPSEA, the answer alone rarely tells the whole story. Marks are awarded against a marking scheme, and once you understand how a scheme works, you can help your child pick up marks they are currently throwing away. This short guide shows you how to read one, using the same schemes that come with our KJSEA and KPSEA revision courses (you can see a free sample).

The single biggest reason able learners lose marks is not that they do not know the work. It is that they do not present it the way the scheme rewards. Fix that, and scores rise without learning a single new fact.

What a marking scheme actually is

A marking scheme is the marker's checklist. For every question it lists the acceptable answers and, crucially, how the marks are split. A 4-mark question is almost never "4 marks for the answer." It is usually several separate marks, one for each correct step, point or piece of working.

Method marks: the marks most learners miss

In Mathematics and the Sciences, schemes award method marks for showing the correct steps, even when the final answer is wrong. Look at this example from a KJSEA Maths scheme:

Find the compound interest on KSH 20,000 at 10% for 2 years.
Amount = 20,000 × (1.1)² = 24,200  (method mark)
Interest = 24,200 − 20,000 = KSH 4,200  (answer mark)

A learner who writes only "4,200" with no working may get one mark. A learner who shows both lines gets both, and still gets the method mark even if they slip on the final subtraction. The lesson is simple: always show your working.

How to read the ticks and notes

Schemes use a shorthand. Once you know it, you can mark your child's work confidently:

• Ticks next to a point show where a mark is earned. Count the ticks to see the marks available.
• "Any THREE" means the learner only needs three of the listed points, not all of them. Writing more does not earn extra marks.
• "Accept..." lists alternative wordings that are also correct, useful so you do not mark a right answer wrong.
• 1 mark each tells you exactly how the marks are shared across the parts.

Five things to teach your child from the scheme

1. Show every step in Maths and Science. Method marks are free marks.
2. Write units (cm, cm², KSH). A missing unit can cost a mark.
3. Answer the number of points asked. "State three" means give three, clearly separated.
4. Use full sentences in languages and humanities, not one-word answers.
5. Underline or box the final answer so the marker cannot miss it.

Mark your child's work the right way

This is exactly why every subject in our courses now ships with a detachable answer booklet. Print the question pages for your child, keep the marking scheme, and mark against it afterwards, awarding marks point by point the way a real marker would. Your child quickly learns to write for the scheme, not just for the answer. For the subjects it covers, see the KJSEA study plan and the KPSEA revision guide.

Get schemes for every subject

The KJSEA Grade 7-9 and KPSEA Grade 4-6 Complete Revision Courses include full marking schemes for every topical question and mock paper. Preview a free sample, and join our free Facebook community for more tips like this.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my child lose marks when the answer is right?

Usually because the working, units or presentation the scheme rewards are missing. The answer may be correct but the marks are attached to the steps.

Do markers really give marks for wrong answers?

For method, yes. In Maths and Science, correct steps earn method marks even when the final figure is wrong.