Latest BECE Examiner’s report on Mathematics for 2024 BECE candidates

In this publication, we share with 2024 BECE candidates and teachers the good, bad, and ugly of the latest BECE Examiner’s report released based on the 2021 examination.

Each year, WAEC releases its chief examiner’s report for the BECE, which serves as a guide for teachers and students preparing for the next examination.

BECE Examiner’s report on Mathematics for 2024 BECE candidates

According to that report, the following were the strengths of the candidates: If you are a candidate who is preparing for the 2024 BECE, you must at least have these strengths by now.

(a) You must be able to solve set problems.
(b) You must be able to solve algebraic factorization questions.
(c) You must be able to solve ratio problems relating to sharing.
(d) You must be able to solve problems on vectors.
(e) You must be able to solve problems on the frequency distribution table.

If you have weaknesses in the above, this is the time to deal with them because you are likely to have such questions in both sections A and B.

In that same examination, the candidates showed the following weaknesses:.

(a) Most candidates were not able to apply the laws of indices to simplify given expressions.

(b) Most candidates were not able to deal with the clearing fractions and solving linear equations.

(c) Most candidates were not able to solve word problems.

(d) The majority of candidates were unable to find the rule for a given mapping.

(e) It was difficult for candidates to simplify fractions and convert them to the nearest whole numbers.

Candidates preparing for BECE 2024 must all be able to deal with the above to stand a better chance of passing the 2024 BECE examination.

The West African Examination Council made the following recommendations for teachers, students, and schools: These must be taken seriously by candidates and teachers.

(a) Teachers should use activities and teaching and learning materials and involve students in teaching concepts and solving examples.

Teachers and parents should encourage and motivate candidates to practice what they have learned.

(c) Candidates should be given enough exercises on their areas of weakness.

We challenge mathematics teachers and schools to empower their candidates while working on the topics raised in both the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates mentioned in the above report.

Let us take a look at one of the issues raised above with a question asked by WAEC in that same examination.

READ: Everything you need to know about the 2024 BECE

Q1C: Esi and Kofi shared an amount of GH₵21,000.00 in the ratio of 2:5, respectively.

How much more did Kofi receive than Esi?

According to question 1C above, testing candidates on sharing an amount in a given ratio. Most of the candidates found the total ratio and used it to find Esi and Kofi’s share.

They were able to find out how much more Kofi received than Esi but failed to leave the answer in two (2) decimal places and also omitted the Ghana cedi sign.

READ: WAEC timetable for 2024 BECE (Projected Timetable)

Candidates were expected to answer the questions as follows:.

Below is the expected solution that many candidates could not provide in full.

 (c)  

=Esi : Kofi  

= 2 : 5  

=  Total ratio = 2 + 5   = 7  

= Kofi’s share =   5/7 × 21, 000 

= GH₵15,000.00  

Esi’s share =   2/7 × 21, 000 

= GH₵6,000.00  

 How much more Kofi receives  

= Kofi’s share  –  Esi’s share

 = GH₵15,000.00 – GH₵6,000.00  

 = GH₵9,000.00  

 :. Kofi received GH₵9,000.00 more than Esi.