The event, staged at the John Gray High School Gym in the national capital, brought together education leaders, government officials, and students to hear the first announcement of performance data for the over 100,000 candidates who registered for more than 600,000 subject entries in this year’s Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination® (CAPE®), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate® (CSEC®) and Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence® (CCSLC®) sittings.
CXC® Registrar and CEO, Dr Wayne Wesley, and Director of Operations, Dr Nicole Manning, led the delegation, presenting the results alongside the Honourable Rolston Anglin, Minister for Education & Training, Finance and Economic Development, who delivered the featured address. The ceremony, hosted each year by a different CXC®-participating territory, was coordinated under the auspices of the Cayman Islands Ministry of Education.
“The Government and People of the Cayman Islands proudly opened our doors to CXC® and the wider region,” noted Minister Anglin further affirming that “Education is at a turning point globally, and we acknowledge CXC’s important work to expand and improve learning, assessment and certification in the regional education system, while keeping pace with the speed of the technological innovations of the Fifth Industrial Revolution such as AI and Machine Learning. Our dedicated team at the Ministry worked diligently to ensure a smooth and successful Release Ceremony,”
In the days leading up to the event, the visiting CXC® team made a courtesy call on Ministry officials before meeting with key stakeholder groups, including principals, teachers, parents, students, and the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce. “Inclusive decision-making is a cornerstone of CXC’s operations,” noted Dr Wesley, emphasising the role of dialogue in shaping the organisation’s policies.
Dr. Wesley further emphasized that “As we continue to keep pace with the innovation happening across the education landscape, we are ensuring that we consult with our stakeholders at every step of the way – our stakeholders hold us accountable in the exercise of our duty of care to this region, that we are so proud to serve.”
Reflecting on the significance of the qualifications, Dr Manning said they remained critical stepping stones for students pursuing higher education and career advancement. “Coming out of this examinations cycle, we want our candidates to value this process as an important phase of their development as they play their part in advancing our Caribbean society. CXC® remains committed to a transformative learning system reflective of fairness, opportunity, dignity and future-readiness,” she said.
While the overall results reflected solid performances in many subject areas, some concerns persisted. Absenteeism remained an issue across the region, and CXC® reported a total of 80 irregularities and penalties between the CAPE® and CSEC® examinations. At the CAPE® level, Financial Services Unit 1 recorded a notably low pass rate of 52%, although other subjects performed reasonably well. For CSEC®, only 38.54% of candidates across the region passed Mathematics — a figure that drew concern among education stakeholders, given it represents only a marginal improvement over last year. Performance in CSEC® Social Studies and Spanish was also modest, with 59% and 64% pass rates respectively. In contrast, the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA™) saw regional gains in both book report and external assessment grades.
Beyond academic performance, CXC® highlighted key achievements in certification. In 2025, the Council awarded 1,363 full Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) certifications, 196 associate degrees, and 9,712 diplomas. Looking ahead, CXC® announced that artificial intelligence will be permitted in assessments — particularly in School-Based Assessments (SBAs) — under five standards described as being “there to protect” and “to help,” according to Manning. Discussions have also begun with credentialing bodies on formally referencing AI use. Additionally, the Council confirmed that from 2026, multiple-choice examinations will transition fully to e-assessments, while Paper 2s and 3s will adopt a hybrid format, signalling a significant shift in the administration of regional exams.