2023 BECE Integrated Science Mistakes Candidates Must Avoid

This article on Integrated Science Mistakes 2023 BECE Candidates must avoid aims are providing ways by which candidates can score good grades in the subject and avoid mistakes often made by students.

The integrated Science paper is a core subject that must be passed to merit placement into any Senior High School under the Free SHS policy.

The BECE chief examiners report since 2017 has identified many weaknesses of students when answering science questions and dozens of mistakes that candidates repeatedly make which affect their scores and grades each year.

Nine 2023 BECE Integrated Science Mistakes Candidates Must Avoid

Integrated Science Mistakes 2023 BECE candidates must avoid to increase their chances of performing well according to the 2017,2018 and 2019, 2020 and 2021 chief examiners’ reports are

1#The mistake of not preparing well for the science paper. 

Students fail to prepare very well for the paper. This is revealed by the kind of poorly written answers in the 2017,2018 and 2019 Integrated Science paper. “Lack of adequate preparation was evident in the work of some candidates.” the chief examiner’s report indicated.

#2 The mistake of not numbering answering properly.

Some candidates did not number their answers at all, while others also did not number them to match the question they were answerings. This can create problems for candidates and lead to loss of marks. For instance, if you are answering Q1 b (i) number the answer like the question so that the one marking your script can match the answer to the question and awarded the marks you deserve.

#3 Students inability to identify Scientific Experiment Set-Ups.

According to the 2017 BECE chief examiner’s report, some candidates could not identify the set-up for filtration and so could not label the parts of the diagram correctly.

#4 Candidates failure to read instructions.

Candidates failed to read and understand the demand of the questions; such as the difference between state, name, explain, define, and ‘what’ is as used in the questions. Example in Question 1(d)(v) candidates were to explain how the
solid portion of the solution named in (iii) could be obtained. The response from some candidates was just “evaporation”. Candidates must write sentences that explain such answers clearly to earn the full marks. One-word answers should be avoided.

#5 Inability of candidates to write formulas for compounds.

Students are unable to write formulas for compounds. This is a big challenge that needs to be addressed in classrooms by teachers as students also put in extra seriousness to learn how formulas for compounds are written.

#6 Copying Questions before answering them

Some candidates recopy the questions before answering them. This approach to answering questions is wrong. All candidates are to do is to write the question number as explained above in point 2 then go-ahead to provide the answers. Rewriting the questions only leads to a waste of time hence such candidates will not be able to answer all the number of questions required.

#7 Spelling Mistakes 

Spellings of some simple words continue to be a problem for most candidates. According to the chief examiner’s report,
students spell “skin” as “skain”, “solid” is wrongly spelt as “soild”, “virtual” is wrongly spelt as visual, and “space” is wrongly spelt as “speac” and a host of other words.

#8 Use of Wrong units

Students have difficulty writing the correct units of some physical quantities. This continues to pose
problems for most of the candidates and so teachers must hep learners to appreciate simple units like
“joules”, (“J”) as unit for energy or work, kilograms (kg) for mass and oC for temperature.

#9 Most of the candidates have problems with English Language.

Even though it
seemed they had the idea, expressing it was their handicap. There is basically a
problem with the communication skills of the candidates.

2023 BECE Integrated Science Mistakes Candidates Must Avoid: SUGGESTED REMEDIES

(1) Candidates should be advised to pay serious attention to their studies and not rely on external assistance during examinations.
(2) Teachers should conduct more practical activities to enable candidates understand the various concepts in the syllabus.
(3) Candidates should be advised to read their textbooks to enable them to know much about the equipment and apparatus they use in the laboratory.

(4) Teachers must make time and teach candidates the difference between the terms, “explain”, “what is”, “state” etc.

(5) Teachers should try as much as possible to take candidates through the entire topics in the syllabus before they write their examinations.

(6) Candidates need more exercises on every topic taught. They must be guidelines to help them on how such questions are answered to help them to revise.

(7) Candidates should be encouraged to use past questions in their studies.

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(8) The students should be subjected to special drills after each topic is taught. Students should be made to relate whatever is taught in class to the questions set in examinations.
(9) Diagrams connected with every topic should be drawn well on the blackboard and labeled correctly according to the scientific method of labeling. Students should be provided more questions for constant practice to reinforce the knowledge acquired.

READ: BECE Chief Examiners Reports for 2023 BECE Preparation – Download Now

(10) Students should be taught the international ways of naming organisms and chemicals.
E.g. Vibrio cholerae, Tubercle Bacillus bacteria, Iron (III) Chloride, concentrated tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid.
(11) Candidates should be exposed to more calculation problems involving formulae.