BECE RME Tips: How to Score High in 2027

Religious and Moral Education, or RME, is a subject where respect, clear thinking and careful reading carry you a long way. It is taught in every JHS and listed as a mandatory subject in the Ghana Education Service list reported in 2024, so you will write it. This guide uses WAEC Ghana's BECE regulations booklet (the version that applies from 2024) to explain the paper and shows how to prepare.

Whatever your own faith, RME is examined as a school subject: you are asked what different traditions teach and how moral values apply to daily life, not to defend or change your beliefs.

The paper at a glance

The two papers are a composite, taken together. In Paper 2 you answer three questions in all. With 60 marks, that means each answer is worth about 20 marks, so plan roughly 20 minutes for each.

What the sample questions cover

WAEC's sample paper is not a forecast, but it shows what kinds of knowledge are tested. The objective questions include:

• the stages of repentance,
• manners and courtesy, such as what to consider when greeting someone,
• the meaning of Ghanaian proverbs, for example on patience and on the value of a good name,
• puberty and growing up,
• the teaching of the Ten Commandments in Christianity,
• human activities that damage the environment,
• the Islamic account of creation and the role of a Caliph in Islam,
• the roles of family members in keeping a family united.

The sample essay questions include a compulsory scenario about a group project to solve an environmental problem in school, where you identify the problem, name other problems, explain human activities that harm the environment, and give reasons for caring for it.

How to revise

Make a topic table. Draw three columns: topic, key points, example or proverb. Fill it as you revise. When you can recite the key points without looking, move on.

Learn the language of the question. RME questions use the same few instruction words every time:

• State or list: short points, no explanation.
• Outline: main points in a brief form.
• Explain or describe: a point plus a reason or an example.
• Discuss: several sides of the issue.

If a question says "Explain four human activities that destroy the environment" and gives eight marks, the examiner expects four points with two marks each. That means a heading and a short explanation for each, not a single long paragraph.

Know your proverbs. Collect ten Ghanaian proverbs and be able to say what each means and which value it teaches. Practise using them as supporting evidence in an essay.

Use scenarios. Section A often tells a short story. Read it twice, underline names and facts in the story, and use them in your answer. An answer that refers to the situation in the question shows the examiner you have read it.

An original practice essay

A pupil finds money on the school compound. Describe what he should do and give three reasons why honesty is important in a community.

A sound answer would say clearly that he should hand the money to a teacher or the school office so the owner can be found. Then give three separate reasons, such as: honesty builds trust among people, it reflects the teachings of the major religions, and it keeps the community peaceful. Add a proverb or example if you can recall one. Keep each reason to its own short paragraph.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Mixing up religions. If the question asks about Islam, do not bring in a Christian teaching, and the other way round.
• Writing without a count. If the question asks for three points, write exactly three clear ones; four weak points do not beat three strong ones.
• Memorising without understanding. Questions are often phrased as situations, so know why a teaching matters.
• Leaving Paper 2 Section A for last. It is compulsory and carries marks; do it first while you are fresh.

A simple revision schedule

1. Week 1: moral and social values (family, respect, honesty, proverbs).
2. Week 2: teachings from the religious traditions in your syllabus.
3. Week 3: environment, community life, and growing up.
4. Week 4: timed Paper 1 and two essay questions; review all mistakes.

For general study help, read how to study effectively and how to memorise faster. RME essays share a pattern with Social Studies, so our BECE Social Studies tips are a useful companion. To see how every subject feeds into placement, read the BECE grading system.

Writing about different traditions respectfully

RME asks you to explain what religions teach, so write in a neutral, respectful tone. Say "Christians believe" or "Muslims believe" or "in African tradition" instead of judging any belief. Avoid jokes or comparisons that rank one tradition above another. Examiners reward accuracy and respect, and your answer reads better when you stick to what each tradition teaches and how that teaching shapes everyday behaviour.

Practice

ExamPadi does not have BECE or Ghana-specific practice questions yet. Use the sample questions in WAEC's booklet and your teacher's tests. To hear 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.