Caribbean Examinations Council® (CXC®) Statement on the 2021 Regional Examinations

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean Examinations 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.

CXC® stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in St Vincent and the Grenadines at this time, and all our stakeholders across the region affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, CXC® stands ready to listen and to engage in dialogue with our critical stakeholders across the education landscape.

CXC® also 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. 

Given these circumstances, CXC® has reduced the SBA requirements by as much as 50 per cent in some subjects. 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.  

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.

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. 

Accordingly:

1. SBA scores can be transferred for use in the next examination sitting, where the subject is offered.
2. The rules pertaining to the reuse of SBA scores for resit candidates remain unchanged.  
3. Candidates may also:
   1. submit a new SBA 
   2. delay submission of SBAs until the chosen sitting 
4. For the first time, CXC® will accept SBAs in January 2022 for candidates deferring to sit examinations for subjects offered in that period.  

The granting of the deferral will be managed by the principal, for in-school candidates, and by the CXC® Local Registrar, for private candidates. Candidates should indicate an intent to defer from the June/July 2021 examination cycle by 1 May 2021. There will be no fee charged for the deferral of examinations. 

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/.  

As we all do our best to manage in these uncertain times, CXC® continues to collaborate with 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.