By Antonio Dey
The Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) has recorded a 90.8% pass rate according to preliminary results disclosed by Chief Education Officer (CEO) Saddam Hussein who noted that this represented a dip in this year’s pass rate as compared to 93.2 % in 2022.
He made this announcement yesterday at the release of the 2023 preliminary CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) and CAPE results at the Anna Regina Multilateral School, on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two.
This year, the CEO reported that a total of 701 students from 17 institutions (12 secondary schools and four private centres) wrote CAPE as compared to 671 students in 2022. According to the breakdown by grades, 368 students secured Grade Ones, 736 secured Grade Twos, 981 secured Grade Threes, 761 secured Grade Fours, and 493 secured Grade Fives.
Applied Mathematics, Accounting Units 1&2, Food and Nutrition Unit 2, Green Engineering, and Spanish Unit 2, were among the CAPE subjects which obtained an overall pass rate of 100%.
Accounting Unit 1 saw an improvement rate from 80% in 2022, to 90% in 2023, while Agricultural Science moved from 71% to a whopping 91%. Applied Mathematics climbed to an overall pass rate of 100% after recording 88% in 2022. Geography and Pure Mathematics Units 1 & 2 witnessed increased pass rates as Geography moved from 95% to 100%, while Pure Mathematics Unit 1 moved from 65% to 88% and Unit 2 80% to 87%. Chemistry advanced from 86% to 88%, a 2% percent increase, while Literatures in English recorded a 97% pass rate as compared to 95% in 2022. However, the pass rate for Biology Unit 1 declined by 5 % for 2023 as well as Biology Unit 2.
Compulsory Subjects such as Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies both witnessed a significant increase to 90%.
The Chief Education Officer also referenced a slight dip in Environmental Science Unit One which recorded 97% as compared to 100% in 2022, while Unit 2 dipped a bit from 100% to 96%. Meanwhile, Sociology and Tourism also witnessed a decline in overall pass rate of 95% and 92.5%.
In relation to regional performance, CXC (Caribbean Examinations Council) Director of Operations Nicole Manning, yesterday announced that Caribbean Studies had 97 % acceptable grades, an increase which was noted as the largest amount over the past three years in terms of candidates receiving acceptable grades.
She announced this during CXC’s release of preliminary CSEC & CAPE results held at the Marriott Resort in St Kitts and Nevis.
Communication Studies recorded an overall pass rate of 94% as compared to 92% in 2022.
In French Unit I, 95 % of candidates achieved acceptable grades as compared to 98% in 2022 while French Unit 2, amassed an overall performance of 99% as compared to 95% in 2022
These pass rates were on an upward trajectory during the past three years, with the number of Grade Ones moving from 16% to 41%, Manning informed.
Green Engineering Unit 1, which is a fairly new CAPE subject, secured a 99 % pass rate with the number of Grade Ones moving from zero in 2022 to 9% in 2023. Green Engineering Unit 2 witnessed a significant increase from 84% to 98% for 2023. Information Technology moved from 91% in 2022 to 94% in 2023, while History Unit 1 moved from 87% to 90%.
The overall pass rate for Integrated Mathematics climbed by 2% while Logistics and Supply Chain Unit 1 remained at 85%. But Logistics and Supply Chain Unit 2 moved from 57% to 67%. Physics Units 1 & 2, and Pure Mathematics Units 1 & 2, witnessed improved overall pass rates of over 90%.
Tourism Units 1 & 2 also witnessed overall pass rates of over 90%.
