GINA | GOVERNMENT INFORMATION AGENCY

Overall increases in numbers taking CXC

Georgetown, GINA, September 14, 2003

The overall performances at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Examinations were good and substantial increases were recorded in English A and Mathematics.The performances in other subjects such as Physics, Agriculture, Electronics, Mechanics and Music continued to show good results.

The numbers passing English A have increased from 1856 in 1995 to 2898 this year. As regards Mathematics, passes were 1284 in 1995 and this year 1856, although there was a greater increase over the period in persons passing with grade three in this subject.

This year showed the best performance ever, in Mathematics, with our lowest in 1997. The closest we have ever been to the 2003 scores was in 2000 when we recorded 40% passes.
Over 80% passes were achieved in Biology, over 90% in Chemistry, Information Technology just below 80% and approximately 90% for Physics.

All Human Management subjects registered over 90% passes and over 90% in Industrial Arts except for technical Drawing.The numbers writing Chemistry have increased over the past two years from 592 in 2001 to 657 this year.

In English A, the numbers have increased significantly. It moved from 4999 in 1995 to 7749 this year and 5561 in 2001. There was a 2.9% difference in the 2002 and 2003 English A scores with a 2275 increase in the numbers taking the examination.

There is a steady increase in the results in English A from around 1998 to 2003. Passes moved from 11.64% to 37.4% this year. Such significant increases were also evident in the numbers taking Mathematics in 1995 when 4137 took the examination, compared to 7450 this year.

Note however, that the pass mark is calculated up to grade Two from 1995 to 1997 and from Grade One to Three from 1998 to 2003. The 1.7% difference in passes between last year and this year must also be examined against the approximately 25000 more persons that wrote the exams this year. This would also account for the increase in passes at all grades against the 2002 scores.

The 7749 students who took English A, and the 7749 who took Mathematics were the largest numbers writing any of the subjects. There were also relative increases in the number taking Biology, Chemistry and Principles of Accounts. In 1997, five persons wrote Information Technology while this year 680 wrote the examination with over half securing passes.

Compared to the number writing Principles of Accounts in 1995 (1811) with a 31.42% pass rate, the numbers have increased to 2633 this year with a 61.8% pass rate. The percentage passes last year was just below the pass rate this year (61.8%) compared to 61.2% last year, but over 1000 more persons wrote the examination this year.

This year recorded the largest number ever taking the examination. The same goes for French and Information Technology. The number of persons taking Spanish has also increased.
Since 1998, the number taking Craft and Art and Craft has decreased. Since 2000, persons stopped taking Shorthand, and we began taking Music in 2000 although the numbers are not large.

Although the local results are challenged by a number of persons, it is fitting that we examine our own results against earlier performances. With this as the basis for this analysis, the 2003 results show improvements in percentage passed and numbers taking the CXC examinations.

In the majority of subjects there is a marked increase in the numbers taking these exams especially over the last three years. We continue to attain poor results in Mechanical Engineering Technology despite the number taking the examination have grown from 1995 to 2003.

Small numbers continue to register for Art, Clothing and Textiles, French, Music, Typewriting, Woods, Building Technology and Mechanical Engineering. However, more students are taking Integrated Science (Single Award), Mathematics, Office Procedure, Principles of Accounts, Social Studies and English A. The largest number however, took social Studies.

The Ministry plans on making the relevant input to ensure that those subjects critical to national development are adequately addressed. The records show also that large numbers of students continue to pass the CXC examinations, and this number has increased from 1995 to 2003.

This increase augurs well for the Education Sector, especially since budgetary allocations in Education continue to increase and is presently at its highest. Besides that, the Ministry with the help of a number of agencies is now able to significantly boost the Sector.

Some of these are the Basic Education Access Management Systems (BEAMS), the Secondary School Reform Project (SSRP), the Primary Education Improvement Programme (PEIP) and the Social Impact Amelioration Programme (SIMAP).

The Ministry regards the success of the Sector at the 2003 CXC examinations to revised curriculum and curriculum materials, more text books, upgrading of school laboratories, teachers' training and better school management.

Other significant assistance came from parent/community support for schools, qualified VSO teaching assistance and regional evaluation of the pre-CXC examinations.Efforts will be taken to ensure that In-service Centres will be expanded to include secondary components and continuous monitoring and support for Regions with low results.

Suffice it to say, strident efforts have been made to also adequately equip the teaching component in Interior locations. Although the numbers of qualified teachers are small in those areas, they have been supported by VSOs and training so that students have better access to quality education.

From the year 1997 to 2002, more than 1750 teachers were trained, while approximately 500 received pre-service and in-service training. A strategic Plan (2002 – 2006) and a 17- point plan were also outlined to upgrade all levels of education and education delivery countrywide.
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