STATEMENT BY DEPUTY PREMIER AND MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, CULTURE,
YOUTH AFFAIRS, FISHERIES AND AGRICULTURE

HONOURABLE NATALIO D. WHEATLEY

AT THEFOURTEENTH SITTING OF THE SECOND SESSION OF THE FOURTH HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

2020 CXC CSEC AND CAPE RESULTS

Today, I am pleased to present to you a synopsis of the Territory’s performance in the 2020 CXC Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and CXC Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE). Given the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications, our students persevered through many psychological, social and emotional challenges. This pandemic forced our students to deal with great uncertainty, adapt to new learning conditions and adopt new studying practices.

This year saw the change in the format and scheduling of the CXC exams components. Students received grades based on School Based Assessment scores and the Paper 1 (Multiple Choice) examination in the majority of subjects. The delayed scheduling of exams to July/August meant that students sat exams well beyond the usual end of the school year, deeper into our hurricane season and even as we engaged in our emancipation holiday activities. Usually, the Territory would have had CXC exams administered for CPEA, CSEC and CAPE, but this year, due to COVID-19 again, we made a difficult, but necessary decision, to cancel CPEA examinations.

As your Minister for Education, I offer sincere congratulations to all our students who have been successful and commend those who have contributed to their success.

Exam Registration & Passes

This year, a total of 358 candidates registered for one or more subjects for the CSEC examinations, as compared with 375 candidates in 2019. Of this total, 280 were students attending public secondary schools, 71 were from private secondary schools and 7 were private independent candidates.

A total of 27 CSEC subjects were written by candidates, as compared with 28 CSEC subjects in 2019. The subjects with the highest number of entries were English A (232), Mathematics (226), Electronic Document Preparation and Management (175), Human and Social Biology (142) and Principles of Business (117).

We were able to accommodate one transfer student from Guyana and one student from the Cayman Islands, who had to sit exams locally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All centres continued to employ the E-testing modality, which allowed for a more efficient administration of the exams, especially under COVID-19 conditions. Grades I, II and III were earned in 78% of the subjects entered. There were a total of 9 subjects with 100% passes; these are:

1. Agricultural Science (Double Award);
2. Agricultural Science (Single Award);
3. Visual Arts;
4. Physical Education and Sport; this shows an increase of 1.1% in 2019
5. Food, Nutrition and Health;
6. Family and Resource Management;
7. Technical Drawing;
8. Industrial Technology (Mechanical);
9. Information Technology.

Subjects with passes from 90% to 99.99% are:

1. Electronic Document Preparation and Management (98.8%) – 0.7% higher than 2019
2. Integrated Science (94.7%)
3. English A (91.4%)

Overall, 15.6 % of all subject entries were Grade I passes, 30% were Grade II passes and 32.6% were Grade III passes.

Mathematics and English A (English Language)

Two hundred and seventeen (217) students sat the Mathematics exam, with 113 or 52% receiving Grades I, II or III passes; this 52% has been identified as the regional average in CSEC Mathematics by the CXC Registrar General and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Wayne Wesley, in his remarks at the launching ceremony of the 2020 results. Thirteen students or 6% of the students received Grade I passes in Mathematics, territory-wide.  One hundred and ninety-eight students sat the English A exam, with 181 or 91.4% receiving Grades I, II or II passes with 45 students or 23% of the students receiving Grade I passes in English A.

Top Performing Students

Of the 358 students who wrote the examinations, 15 students passed a total of 8 subjects, 20 students passed a total of 7 subjects and 22 students passed a total of 6 subjects.

I would like to recognize the following students for their achievements in this year’s exams:

Bregado Flax Educational Centre

• Nicholous Kanhai – 8 subjects with 5 Grade I passes
• Keishon Gardener – 8 subjects with 2 Grade I passes

Elmore Stoutt High School

• Shonari Winter – 7 subjects with 7 Grade I passes
• Rennisha Rodgers – 8 subjects with 6 Grade I passes
• Kristin Abraham – 8 subjects with 5 Grade I passes
• Kaeli Alphonso – 8 subjects with 5 Grade I passes
• Michaela Potter – 8 subjects with 4 Grade I passes
• Celeste Waterman – 7 subjects with 4 Grade I passes
• Jinnella Davis – 8 subjects with 5 Grade I passes
• Roiley Christopher – 7 subjects with 2 Grade I passes

BVI Seventh-Day Adventist School

• Kayla Manning – 8 subjects with 4 Grade I passes
• Roequan Hemerding – 8 subjects with 3 Grade I passes
• Matthew Murray – 8 subjects with 3 Grade I passes
• La Tisha Brown – 7 subjects with 3 Grade I passes

St. George’s Secondary School

• Iain Smith – 8 subjects with 7 Grade I passes
• Chad Willock – 8 subjects with 4 Grade I passes
• Olivia Freeman – 8 subjects with 3 Grade I passes
• Nyasha Yadram – 8 subjects with 2 Grade I passes
• Kehaulani McMillan – 8 subjects with 1 Grade I pass

CSEC and CAPE Combination

A total of four dually enrolled students at ESHS and HLSCC passed a combination of CXC CSEC and CAPE subjects at a 100% pass rate. The CAPE subject passed was Biology Unit One.

Absenteeism and Ungraded Results

The rate of absenteeism or ungraded results was similar to that of 2019. Of the 1,489 examinations registered for the July/August sitting, only 1,325 grades were awarded. This means that 164 exam entries were not sat or graded. The modification in the SBA moderation processes due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected the ungraded results.

The Ministry of Education recognises this high number of absenteeism and ungraded results and aims to put further measures in place for students, parents and examination centres to reduce these occurrences and significantly improve in these areas for the next sitting.

In analysing the 2020 CXC results, in the context of our current COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education recognises the successes of, and challenges faced by our students and educators. At this time, I must recognise and appreciate the efforts of Ministry staff, principals, teachers and parents for their diligence in preparing our students and institutions for the CXC exams.

As I conclude this report, I would like to, once again, extend sincere congratulations to our students who were successful in the CXC CSEC and CAPE examinations. Be encouraged and continue demonstrating Virgin Islands resilience in fulfilling your aspirations, locally, regionally or internationally.