The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has made significant changes for the June/July 2021 examinations cycle.
According to a press release today from the Council, CXC is “cognisant of the many challenges across the region at this time including the debilitating impact of COVID-19 on all areas of society, and all stakeholders operating within the education sector, coupled with the explosive volcanic activity on La Soufrière in St Vincent and the Grenadines”.
The release says that CXC recognises that some candidates across the region, based on their particular circumstances, may not be ready for assessment during the June/July 2021 examinations cycle, and that under these circumstances, CXC has reduced the SBA requirements by as much as 50 per cent in some subjects. Following extensive consultations with regional Ministries of Education, CXC has also implemented a facility for candidates to defer sitting examinations and submitting School Based Assessments (SBAs), until the January 2022 (CSEC) or the May/June 2022 (CAPE, CSEC and CCSLC) examinations cycle.
In addition, CXC will share the broad topics to be assessed on Paper 02 for CSEC and CAPE subjects with the Ministries of Education for distribution to all candidates on 10 May 2021 (5 weeks before the start of the examinations), for subjects where such details are not already available in the syllabus. Candidates are however reminded that the entire syllabus is assessed on Paper 01. The changes that will be of use for such candidates are as follows:
I. SBA scores can be transferred for use in the next examination sitting, where the subject is offered.
II. II. The rules pertaining to the reuse of SBA scores for re-sit candidates remain unchanged.
III. Candidates may also: submit a new SBA or delay submission of SBAs until the chosen sitting.
IV. CXC will accept SBAs in January 2022 for candidates deferring to sit examinations for subjects offered in that period.
CXC says 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. All candidates should indicate an intent to defer from the June/July 2021 examination cycle by 1 May 2021. The release stated that no fee will be charged for the deferral of examinations. According to the release the deferral procedures were shared directly with all Ministries of Education and Local Registrars from across the region on Friday, 26 March 2021 and Friday, 9 April 2021 and communications placed on the CXC website: www.cxc.org; In preparation for exams, students can also access a range of examination related resources via www.cxc.org/student-central/
The release added that CXC will continue to collaborate with all regional Ministries of Education and other stakeholders to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all stakeholders, and that the administration of examinations does not disenfranchise the region’s students. CXC 2021 candidates should also note that this information is outlined in the SBA Student Handbook: Treatment of Syllabuses and School-Based Assessment for the Administration of Examinations, published and posted on the CXC website and shared via social media in November 2020 and February 2021.
The CXC statement follows the widespread discontent among students and their parents last year over arrangements and grades for the 2020 CSEC and CAPE exams.
