The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has reported a decline in the pass rates for Mathematics and English in this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, compared to the previous year. The data, released on Tuesday during a ceremony in Dominica, reveals that only 36% of students across the region received passing grades in Mathematics, marking a seven-percentage point drop from last year’s results.
CXC Director of Operations, Dr. Nicole Manning expressed concern over the decline. “This is a sour point for us,” Manning said. “As we do the analysis, this is something each territory has to look at. In some territories, you will see improvements, but in others, the results are less favorable. However, we need to get out of this rut.”
In English A, 76% of students achieved grades one to three, reflecting a two-percentage point decrease from last year.
Pass rates for other CSEC subjects were as follows:
- French: 57%
- Human and Social Biology: 80%
- Biology: 76%
- Chemistry: 64%
- Physics: 72%
- Principles of Business: 80%
- Social Studies: 62%
- Spanish: 50%
- Information Technology: 81%
- Integrated Science: 58%
Despite the decline in some CSEC subjects, the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) maintained consistently high pass rates in core subjects. Caribbean Studies, for instance, saw 95% of students receiving passing grades, a slight two percentage point decrease from the previous year.The results were unveiled during a ceremony on August 20, 2024, in Dominica, attended by the Minister of Education and other government officials.
