The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has reiterated its commitment to working in the best interest of students, cognisant of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano on the region’s education sector.
In a statement issued today, the regional examinations body said it was continuing to “collaborate with regional Ministries of Education and other stakeholders to ensure the safety and well-being of all stakeholders, and that the administration of examinations does not disenfranchise the region’s students”.
It also outlined measures implemented to assist students during these challenging times, while acknowledging that some may not be ready for assessment during the June/July 2021 examinations cycle.
These include a reduction in the requirements for School-Based Assessments (SBAs) by as much as 50 per cent in some subjects, as stated in the SBA Student Handbook: Treatment of Syllabuses and School-Based Assessment for the Administration of Examinations.
The regional examinations body further stated that it “will share the broad topics to be assessed on Paper 2 for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subjects with the Ministries of Education for distribution to all candidates on May 10 (five weeks before the start of the examinations), for subjects where such details are not already available in the syllabus”.
However, it has reminded candidates “that the entire syllabus is assessed on Paper 1”.
It added that students had the option of deferring the sitting of exams and the submission of SBAs for CSEC subjects until January 2022, or May/June 2022 CAPE, CSEC and Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC) cycle. Students should note the following:
- SBA scores can be transferred for use in the next examination sitting, where the subject is offered.
- The rules pertaining to the reuse of SBA scores for re-sit candidates remain unchanged.
- Candidates may also:
- submit a new SBA
- delay submission of SBAs until the chosen sitting
- For the first time, CXC will accept SBAs in January 2022 for candidates deferring to sit examinations for subjects offered in that period.
The Caribbean Examinations Council has stated that “the granting of the deferral will be managed by the principal, for in-school candidates, and by the CXC Local Registrar, for private candidates. Candidates should indicate an intent to defer from the June/July 2021 examination cycle by May 1, 2021. There will be no fee charged for the deferral of examinations”.
It also noted that students could access a range of resources in preparation for exams via www.cxc.org/student-central/.