The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has explained that excelling in school examinations does not necessarily guarantee the highest grades in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), saying candidates are assessed against the performance of the entire national cohort rather than classmates.

Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show, WAEC Head of Public Affairs John Kapi said many parents misunderstand the grading system because they compare their children's BECE performance with results obtained in school.

According to him, the BECE uses a norm-referenced grading system in which more than 620,000 candidates compete against one another for grades.

"You have a class of about 40 in a private school where Kojo Mensah scores 90% all the time. Now, this is out of 40 people, and so he'll be first," he explained.

"If you look at the nine-grading system, Kojo Mensah as an individual is competing against over 620,000 other candidates who equally can make the 90% or even a 95%."

Mr Kapi said the distinction is important because many parents expect children who consistently top their classes to automatically obtain the highest grades in the BECE.

He noted that classroom rankings reflect performance within a relatively small group of students, whereas the BECE compares candidates nationwide.

The WAEC spokesperson said understanding the grading methodology would help address some of the concerns expressed by parents following the release of this year's examination results.

His comments come amid concerns raised by the Ghana National Association of Private Schools over alleged discrepancies in the 2026 BECE results.