BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has announced several changes to its assessment for the June/ July 2021 examination cycle amid challenges being faced by students across the region, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the explosive volcanic activity by La Soufrière in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In a statement today, the council said it cognisant that some candidates across the region, based on their particular circumstances, may not be ready for assessment and stands ready to listen and to engage in dialogue with critical stakeholders across the education landscape.

Given these circumstances, the council said it has reduced the Student Based Assessment (SBA) requirements by as much as 50 per cent in some subjects.

It added that it will share the broad topics to be assessed on Paper 02 for both Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) exams.

This, it said, will be shared with the Ministries of Education for distribution to all candidates on May 10, 2021 — five weeks before the start of the examinations — for subjects where such details are not already available in the syllabus.

The council noted, however, that the entire syllabus is assessed on Paper 01.

Following extensive consultations with regional Ministries of Education, CXC said it has also implemented a facility for candidates to defer sitting examinations and submitting SBAs until the January 2022 or the May/June 2022 examinations cycle.

Accordingly:

I. SBA scores can be transferred for use in the next examination sitting, where the subject is offered;

II. The rules pertaining to the reuse of SBA scores for resit candidates remain unchanged;

III. Candidates may also submit a new SBA or delay submission of SBAs until the chosen sitting; and

IV. For the first time, CXC will accept SBAs in January 2022 for candidates deferring to sit examinations for subjects offered in that period.

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

The council reminded that in preparation for exams, students can also access a range of examination related resources via www.cxc.org/student-central/.

CXC said it stands in solidarity with brothers and sisters in St Vincent and the Grenadines at this time, and all stakeholders across the region affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It added that it stands ready to listen and to engage in dialogue with critical stakeholders across the education landscape.