NECO SSCE flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

SSCE credit pass grade

In the NECO SSCE, a credit pass is any grade from A1 to C6, meaning a subject score of 50 or above. Grades D7 to F9 are not credits.

SSCE A1 band

A1 is awarded for a total subject score of 75 to 100 in the NECO SSCE. It is the highest grade and counts as a credit pass.

SSCE F9 band

F9 is the failure grade in the NECO SSCE, awarded for a subject score of 0 to 39. It does not count as a credit or an ordinary pass.

Two-sitting rule

Most Nigerian universities accept five SSCE credits, including English Language and Mathematics, obtained in at most two sittings of the same examination body.

SSCE compulsory subjects

English Language and Mathematics are compulsory for every NECO SSCE candidate. Candidates normally register eight or nine subjects in addition to these.

Internal versus external SSCE

The June/July SSCE is the internal examination for school candidates. The November/December SSCE is the external examination open to private candidates and resitters.

Test of orals

A separately marked oral English component inside the SSCE English Language paper. It tests sound discrimination, stress and intonation, and its marks add to the subject total.

OMR shading rule

SSCE objective answers are machine-read from an OMR sheet. Shading two options for one item, or shading outside the answer box, is scored as wrong.

Continuous assessment weight

In school-based SSCE subjects, the Continuous Assessment score from the school is combined with the examination score, so the final grade is not from the written paper alone.

SSCE result check

NECO results are checked on the council's online portal using the examination number, the result checker PIN and the candidate's personal identification details.

BECE purpose

The BECE certifies completion of the nine-year basic education programme at the end of Junior Secondary 3, and its grades guide placement into Senior Secondary 1.

BECE A grade

In the NECO BECE, grade A is awarded for a score of 70 to 100. It is the highest of the A, B, C, P and F bands.

BECE P grade

P is the BECE pass grade for a score of 40 to 49. It is below the credit-level grades A, B and C but is not a failure.

BECE credit-level grades

BECE grades A (70-100), B (60-69) and C (50-59) are credit-level passes. P (40-49) is a pass, and F (0-39) is a failure.

BECE compulsory subjects

English Studies and Mathematics are compulsory in the BECE. A candidate must pass them to progress normally into Senior Secondary school.

Basic Science and Technology

An integrated BECE subject combining former Basic Science, Basic Technology, Physical and Health Education, and Computer Studies content into one junior secondary grade.

Pre-Vocational Studies

An integrated BECE subject drawing on Agricultural Science and Home Economics content. It replaces the separate junior subjects with a single combined grade.

National Values Education

A BECE subject that integrates Social Studies, Civic Education, Security Education and related value topics into one junior secondary examination grade.

BECE CA and exam split

For BECE, the school Continuous Assessment score, commonly 30 to 40 per cent, is added to the examination score, commonly 60 to 70 per cent, to give the final mark.

BECE centre matching

The candidate's examination number and the school centre number written on the BECE answer sheet must match the registration record, or the script may not be processed.

BECE eligibility

A BECE candidate must be a registered student in Basic 9 (JSS3) of a recognised school, sitting at the centre assigned to that school.

NCEE purpose

The National Common Entrance Examination selects Primary 6 pupils for admission into Junior Secondary 1 of Federal Unity Colleges and some other schools.

NCEE paper structure

The NCEE has Paper I, covering quantitative and mathematics items, and Paper II, covering verbal and English items, both objective and machine-marked.

NCEE content areas

NCEE questions are drawn from Mathematics, English Language, Basic Science, Social Studies and General Knowledge, at primary school level.

NCEE age eligibility

An NCEE candidate must normally be at least 10 years old by September of the year of admission, and must be in or have completed Primary 6.

NCEE scoring rule

The NCEE awards one mark per correct answer with no negative marking, so a candidate should answer every question rather than leave blanks.

Unity school cut-off

Admission to a Federal Unity College requires reaching the cut-off score set for the candidate's state and chosen school, which may exceed the national floor.

NCEE registration data

Name spelling, date of birth, state of origin and school choice on the NCEE registration must be exact, because mismatches can invalidate the result or placement.

NCEE centre assignment

The NCEE is written at a centre assigned by NECO, not necessarily the candidate's primary school, and both papers are taken there on the same day.

NCEE result publication

NECO publishes NCEE results online. Candidates check them with the examination number and a result-checking PIN purchased from the council.

School choice effect

A high NCEE score does not guarantee placement if the chosen school is oversubscribed or wrongly entered; placement follows the school choice on the registration.

NCEE verbal reasoning

Paper II includes verbal reasoning items such as analogies, odd-one-out, word relationships and sentence completion, testing English vocabulary and logic.