CXC completes 80% of requested exam reviews

…discussions underway for 2021 exams

The Caribbean Examinations Council has completed 80 per cent of the reviews that were officially requested of the examination body, consequent to the release of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results for 2020.
In a statement on Monday, the Council said that the final results were shared with the local registrars on December 31. The grades were to be released on January 4 to students via the online student portal.
“The Caribbean Examinations Council appreciates the patience and understanding of our stakeholders as we finalise grades for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination July/August 2020 examinations. Throughout the review process, we have endeavoured to be thorough and to comply with our quality assurance processes,” the statement added,
Currently, the examination body said it is in dialogue with the Ministries of Education across the region to finalise details for the administration of the regional examinations in 2021.
“These details will be shared with our stakeholders and made public within the coming weeks,” CXC said.
For the 2020 examinations, CXC changed its format from Papers 1 and 2 coupled with SBAs owing to the global coronavirus pandemic. This somewhat threw students off balance and it was a move that the local Education Ministry criticised following the dissatisfaction with the results.
In Guyana, a total of 20 schools in 15 CSEC and CAPE subject areas had received ungraded results, and subjects that were affected included: English A, Mathematics, Principles of Business, Office Administration, Human & Social Biology, Theatre Arts, Physical Education & Sports and Economics.
The CAPE subjects that were affected are: Geography Unit One, Caribbean Studies, Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, Accounting Units One and Two, Law Unit One and Pure Mathematics Units One and Two. These revelations sparked widespread public outrage, with students demanding answers from the examinations body as it relates to the poor grades assigned.
It was upon regional concerns from students that the Council instructed a team to review the moderation process applied to the School-Based Assessments (SBAs) and the grading process for the exams, among other related matters.
The Independent Review Team, convened by the Chairman of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, has completed its report on the review of the modified approach for the administration of the 2020 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
The review process, according to Dr Wesley during a press conference last October, included remarking of the review script as well as the School-Based Assessment. He noted that if after the process is completed the grade remains the same then the candidate will be advised as such, adding that if the grade changes and becomes higher then the same process is applied but it would also include a full refund of the review fees.
Additionally, CXC had taken the decision to set aside its policy of awarding a decreased grade after the review process. However, that will only apply to the 2020 examinations. Beckles identified that in 20 countries in the Caribbean, a total of 11,578 students who sat the 2020 CSEC examinations received ungraded in one or more subject area.