Students across the region continue to perform poorly in mathematics at the CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) level, with only 41 per cent of those who sat the exam in June/July 2021 receiving a passing grade.

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) made the revelation on Thursday as it gave a breakdown on the performances of students in the latest regional exams administered by the body.

The results in CSEC mathematics represent a backward step after a marked improvement last year when 52 per cent of students who sat the exam received a passing grade in the subject compared to 46 per cent in 2019 and 49 per cent in 2018.

Meanwhile, according to the data released earlier Thursday, 74 per cent of students who sat English Language A received passing grades one to three.

Here is a breakdown of performances in other CSEC subjects across the region

English B – 61 per cent

Integrated Science – 66 per cent

Biology – 89 per cent

Chemistry – 63 per cent

Physics – 66 per cent

Electronic Document Preparation and Management (EDPM) – 87 per cent 

Human and Social Biology – 68 per cent

Principles of Business – 79 per cent

Information Technology – 89 per cent 

Social Studies – 54 per cent

Office Administration – 79 per cent

On the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) side, in the core subject of Caribbean Studies, some 95 per cent of students who sat the exam earned grades one to five. In Communication Studies, another core CAPE subject, 93 per cent of students received a passing grade.

Here is a breakdown of performances in other CAPE subjects across the region

Sociology Unit 1 – 90 per cent

Sociology Unit 2 – 94 per cent  

Law Unit 1 – 89 per cent

Law Unit 2 – 86 per cent 

Pure Mathematics Unit 1 – 73 per cent

Pure Mathematics Unit 2 – 80 per cent

Chemistry Unit 1 – 92 per cent

Chemistry Unit 2- 95 per cent

Biology Unit 1 – 90 per cent 

Biology Unit 2 – 94 per cent 

CXC officials said Thursday that although faced with several challenges as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, students across the Caribbean performed creditably in both the CSEC and CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Education) examinations.

CXC results will be officially released to teachers and students on Friday.