PRESS RELEASE — BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean Examinations Council® (CXC®) stands in solidarity with the region and the international community as we grapple with the impact of COVID-19 on our way of life. During the past two weeks, we have been monitoring developments across the CARICOM region and working closely with representatives from the Ministries of Education and tertiary institutions to arrive at a regional consensus for the administration of May/June 2020 examinations.
The Council recognises the impact of COVID-19 on the education system in general and, more specifically, on the schedule of CXC’s regional examinations. Accordingly, the Council has proposed a revised examinations strategy to yield valid grades and minimize the disruption to the education system during these unprecedented times. Consequently, the Council has made the policy decision to offer a modified examination process as follows:
- Administration of at least one common paper (Multiple Choice Assessments);
- School Based Assessments (SBAs) and Paper 032s (Alternative to SBA) for private candidates; and,
- Award final grades based on the moderated SBAs and Multiple Choice Papers.
The following are exceptions to the aforementioned process where candidates will be required to complete additional components:
- Modern Languages (Spanish, French and Portuguese)
- Human and Social Biology
- Visual Arts
This strategy will employ the e-Testing modality (online and offline) in order to reduce the examinations administration processing time resulting in the shortest turn-around time for marking and the release of examination results. In addition, it will provide an opportunity for the timely presentation of grades to facilitate matriculation to higher education or to access employment. This also minimizes disruption to the 2020/2021 academic year.
While the proposed revised administration schedule for the May/June 2020 examinations is July 2020, we continue to be guided by national protocols across the region.
Students and teachers are encouraged to utilize the CXC Learning Hub – our e-Learning platform that provides learners and instructors with a single access point to multiple resources geared towards exam preparation is available at: learninghub.cxc.org.
Rest assured that as the management and staff of the Council continue to monitor the emerging situation, our first priority is the health and well-being of all our stakeholders.