Former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof Stephen Adei, says the grading system used for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) cannot be blamed for poor performance by candidates.

His comments come amid discussions about the latest WASSCE results, which recorded an overall improvement in performance compared with the previous year.

Prof Adei argued that because the grading system has remained largely consistent over the years, it cannot by itself explain variations in candidates’ performance from one year to another.

“You can’t blame the grading system, though I think that is unnecessarily complicated, but since it has been the same grading system in the previous years, it becomes a common denominator,” he said.

He said attention should instead be directed at factors such as the placement system and the possibility of declining academic standards, while cautioning against drawing conclusions about long-term trends from a single year's results.

“So that cannot explain why many have failed or cannot be placed. It’s either the system of placement or standards are deteriorating, but even then, we cannot use one year to determine the trend statistically,” he said.

Prof Adei, however, acknowledged that the existing grading system could be simplified.

“I personally think that the grading system is unnecessarily complicated. They should go for straight marking like the WASSCE and then use it,” he said.

He maintained that consistency in the grading system makes it difficult to attribute differences in examination outcomes to the grading system itself.

“Well, the point is that so long as the grading system is consistent, it cannot be blamed,” he said.

Prof Adei also cautioned against interpreting the results of a single examination year as definitive evidence of a deterioration or improvement in academic standards.

“But it remains a point to be made that the deterioration, even though one year cannot be a trend statistically,” he said.