By Antonio Dey
The pass rates for Mathematics and English, still languish at 34% and 70% respectively at the 2023 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations. according to Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain
He made this disclosure yesterday, during the announcement of preliminary results for CSEC and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) at the Anna Regina Multilateral School, Essequibo Coast, in Region Two
The Chief Education Officer stressed the need for improvement in these core subjects but pointed out that the percentages are subject to change since the results were preliminary.
The issue of low performance in Mathematics has long plagued the region.
Hussain informed that a total of 12,118 candidates were registered for CSEC as compared to 10,368 candidates for 2022. An analysis of the 2023 preliminary results revealed that the overall pass rate at the general and technical proficiencies for grades 1 to 3 was 65% a slight decline as compared to 2022 with 68.5%.
He reported that subjects such as Technical Drawing, Chemistry, Caribbean History, and Economics, also have not recorded improved pass rates as they remain at 87%, 55%, 64%, and 63% respectively. However, on the brighter side, Agricultural Science, Electronic Document Preparation and Management, Food, Health and Nutrition, Theatre Arts, and Family & Resource Management, were among the 14 CSEC subjects which witnessed outstanding performances at a whopping pass rate of over 80%.
Further, performance in science subjects such as Biology, Human and Social Biology (HSB), and Physics, dipped significantly according to preliminary results. In 2022 the overall performance for Biology was recorded at 82% while in 2023 it fell to 72% – a 10% decrease. HSB recorded 73% in 2022 but dipped to 63% while Physics recorded 63% but dropped to 53%.
Hussain also noted a 66% pass rate in Integrated Science which he deemed laudable.
The business subjects – Principles of Business, and Principles of Accounts – recorded pass rates of 72% and 69%, compared to 2022 with 76% and 70% respectively. Social Studies and English B recorded 53% and 63% respectively while Religious Studies, Physical Education and Sport, Theatre Arts and Visual Arts, recorded 84%, 88%, and 65% respectively. The language subjects, French, Spanish and Portuguese, recorded overall pass rates of 55%, 51% and 62% respectively.
Technical and vocational subjects – Electrical & Electronics Engineering & Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Building Technology, and Family & Resource Management, recorded overall pass rates of 89%, 94% ,97% and 82%.
Regarding the overall regional performance for Mathematics, CXC reported 43% for 2023 as compared to 37% in 2022. This was disclosed yesterday by CXC Director of Operations, Nicole Manning, during the CXC’s Official Release Ceremony held at the Marriott Resort in St Kitts and Nevis, which according to her is an improvement.
Last year, CXC saw the pass rate go over 50% in 2020, with a rate of 53%. Of the students that sat the 2023 Mathematics paper, 8% passed with Grade One. English ‘A’ saw a pass rate of 78%, with 23% of students passing with Grade One. This rate is higher than 2022’s pass rate of 73%.
Both foreign languages saw pass rates of just over 50%, with Spanish and French recording rates of 54% and 59%, respectively. Information Technology witnessed an 86% pass rate which is an improvement on last year’s 80% rate. Social Studies recorded a 54% pass rate, which was deemed a slight improvement to 2022’s rate of 52%. The sciences all saw pass rates of over 50%, as Physics, Biology and Chemistry showing rates of 62%, 74% and 66% respectively. However, Physics and Biology both saw a lower pass rate than 2022, while Chemistry saw a 6% increase when compared to 2022.
Regionally, the candidate entries at the CSEC exams totalled 116,131, compared to 106,151 last year, while subject entries totalled 525,442, compared to 485,335 in 2022.
The examinations council also referenced several irregularities which occurred during the exams such as the leakage of the CSEC Mathematics Paper 2, and a stolen fire-proof cabinet which contained test scripts.
According to Manning there were also a few instances of cheating.
