BECE Integrated Science Tips: How to Score High in 2027

Science at the BECE is not "just biology" or "just physics". It is one paper that mixes agriculture, biology, chemistry and physics, and that is why many JHS 3 students find it hard to know where to start. This guide breaks the paper down using WAEC Ghana's own BECE regulations booklet (the version that applies from 2024).

A note on names: WAEC's booklet calls the subject Science, while placement guidance in the press still describes the core subject as Integrated Science. In practice it is the same compulsory science subject that counts in your BECE aggregate.

How the paper works

Both papers are taken at one sitting.

Paper 2, Section A is one compulsory question with four sub-questions testing practical skills in the agriculture, biology, chemistry and physics aspects of the syllabus. It carries 40 marks.

Paper 2, Section B has four questions, each a blend of agriculture, biology, chemistry and physics. You answer any three, and the section carries 60 marks.

WAEC's weighting table then applies a scaling factor of 0.6 to Paper 2 so that the two papers together make up 100 marks.

The practical lesson: the examiners expect you to apply science to things you can see around you, such as farms, food, the human body and electricity. Reading a diagram or describing a simple experiment matters as much as remembering a definition.

What the sample questions show

WAEC's sample paper is only a sample, not a forecast. But the areas it touches give you a revision map:

• Life cycles of insects, including complete and incomplete metamorphosis
• Farming practices such as mulching, mixed cropping and mixed farming, and why some practices are common in Ghana
• Digestion in animals, and which part of the gut does what
• The carbon cycle and why cycles in nature matter
• Food chains and consumers
• Dental and oral health
• Space and planets, for example what makes life difficult on another planet

You should also revise the basic physics and chemistry that JHS science covers, such as forces, energy, electricity, mixtures, acids and bases, and the properties of materials. The WAEC booklet is the authority on the syllabus content, so ask your teacher to show you the topic list.

Tips for Paper 1

• Learn the vocabulary. Many objective questions test whether you know the correct term. Make flashcards for words like "metamorphosis", "producer", "consumer" and "decomposition".
• Watch for "best" and "most likely". These words mean more than one option can look right. Choose the one that fits the situation described.
• Link ideas. Questions often combine two topics, such as a feeding relationship in a farm ecosystem. Draw small diagrams in your notebook to connect them.
• Pace yourself. 40 questions in 45 minutes gives you just over a minute each. Skip and return rather than spending five minutes on one question.

Tips for Paper 2

Section A is about skills, not essays. Practise reading measurements, drawing and labelling simple diagrams, naming apparatus, and describing what you would observe. If your school has a lab, make the most of every practical lesson. If it does not, do simple kitchen or farm-based experiments with your teacher's guidance, like testing how different soils hold water.

Section B rewards clear structure. Answer in short, numbered points when the question says "state" or "list". Use sentences when it says "explain". Write the key term first, then the reason, so the examiner sees it at once.

Use diagrams. A neat labelled diagram of the digestive system or a food chain can earn marks faster than a paragraph.

A simple study plan

1. Split the syllabus into four blocks: agriculture, biology, chemistry, physics.
2. Give each block one week, and spend the last day of the week doing a short mixed test.
3. Keep a "why" notebook. For each topic write one sentence on why it matters in everyday life in Ghana. That makes ideas easier to remember.
4. In the last month, do one timed Paper 1 and one Section A-style practical question every week.

For help with study routines, read how to study effectively and how to memorise faster. Remember that Science is one of the four core subjects added together in the aggregate, as explained in our BECE grading system guide.

Reading data, tables and graphs

Science questions often give you a small table, a graph or a labelled picture and ask what it shows. Practise a three-step habit: read the title and the labels on each axis or column, say in one sentence what the numbers are doing (rising, falling, staying constant), and only then read the question. For example, if a table shows the height of a bean plant measured each week, the first sentence you say to yourself should be about how the height changes over time. This habit takes ten seconds and prevents many misreadings.

The last week before the paper

Stop learning new topics two days before the exam. Use that time to revisit your flashcards, your "why" notebook and your list of mistakes. Pack your pen, pencils, ruler and eraser the night before, drink water, and sleep properly. On the day, read the instructions on the front of each paper and divide your time before you start writing.

Practice

ExamPadi does not have BECE or Ghana-specific practice questions yet. Use the sample questions in WAEC's booklet, your textbook exercises and class tests. If you want a message when BECE practice launches, register your interest on the download page. Confirm exam dates, paper formats and rules on the official WAEC Ghana site (waecgh.org) and with your school; the sources used here are dated 2024 to 2026 and can change.