Barbadian students have achieved their highest English scores in nearly a decade in this year’s 11-Plus exam, but education officials warned Monday that underlying literacy and comprehension challenges—especially among boys—continue to threaten long-term progress.
Delivering the results of the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE), as the 11-Plus is formally known, Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw revealed that the national mean in English climbed to 72.5 in 2025, up from 65.2 last year and 69.5 in 2023.
The Mathematics mean also increased, reaching 60.2, up from 54.6 in 2024 and 59.2 the year before.
“These results reflect an upward trend, but a significant number of students continue to experience challenges in the use of English and their ability to comprehend expository text,” Archer-Bradshaw said in a press briefing.
“We realise that in English, students demonstrate average knowledge of basic grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension concepts.”
Girls once again outperformed boys in both subjects.
Archer-Bradshaw noted that female students scored above the national mean across all sections, while males continued to perform below average.
In Mathematics, 65 per cent of students scored 50 per cent or more, while 35 per cent fell below the pass mark.
Twenty-four students—13 girls and 11 boys—scored full marks in mathematics.
Two girls scored zero.
In English, 85.1 per cent of students scored at least 50 per cent, and three students—one from a private school and two from public schools—achieved perfect scores.
A total of 2 981 students sat the exam this year, slightly down from 3 011 in 2024. They came from 67 public primary schools, 28 private institutions, and seven home-schooled learners.
Comparing the results over a nine-year period starting in 2016, the chief education officer said that while fluctuations were seen year to year, a general upward trend was evident in both English and mathematics, particularly over the past two years.
She credited the improvement to ongoing literacy interventions under the ministry’s education transformation agenda, including two structured literacy programmes: Snappy Sounds, which focuses on phonics, and the Lindamood-Bell programme, which targets comprehension.
“Even as we speak, our teachers are undergoing training in ensuring that they teach effectively, how to read and understand,” she said.
“We are addressing literacy within our schools in a very frontal way.”
She also credited the work of the National Task Force on Literacy, launched last year by the ministry to tackle literacy gaps, noting that it laid useful groundwork.
But she noted that the ministry itself has taken direct ownership of the issue, appointing a dedicated literacy officer and embedding targeted strategies across the system.
Officials also noted a slight decline in requests for special accommodations this year, revealing that the ministry received 128 applications, covering needs such as scribes and large print, down from 132 in 2024.
Sixteen students were granted permission to sit the exam early, up from 12 last year.
Minister of Educational Transformation Chad Blackman reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to continued support and intervention.
“The ministry remains committed to remediation for students with learning gaps,” he said.
“This summer, we will once again offer our free summer school programme, targeting primarily Class Four students.”
Blackman recognised the top-performing students, naming Kaiya Walcott of Wills Primary School, who scored 100 in both English and mathematics, and Javanni Carmichael of St Paul’s Primary School, who scored 100 in English and 99 in mathematics.
They will attend Harrison College and Queen’s College respectively.
The minister encouraged parents, teachers and administrators to maintain the momentum, adding that the upcoming academic year would include further support under the ministry’s Inclusive Education Policy and Strategy.
A public town hall on the policy will take place on Wednesday.
“This is not just about results. It’s about ensuring every child, no matter their ability, gets the support they need to succeed,” Blackman said.
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