The number of Caribbean students reaching the key benchmark of passing five CSEC subjects including maths and English has risen for the first time in two years, with regional exam officials hailing the improvement as “significant” after last year’s worrying decline.
More students across the Caribbean passed both mathematics and English in the May/June 2025 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, with the regional benchmark rising from 41 per cent in 2024 to 44 per cent, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) said Friday.
CXC defines the benchmark as passing at least five CSEC subjects including maths and English – the standard required for entry into university or for most jobs. It marks a turnaround from last year, when the benchmark fell sharply alongside a major drop in mathematics results, prompting concern among educators across the region.
In 2024, the overall maths pass rate plunged from 48 per cent to 36 per cent, while English A slipped to 75 per cent.
Speaking during the results release ceremony in Grand Cayman Island, CXC Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Wayne Wesley, described this year’s improvement as “significant” and a sign that national efforts to strengthen literacy and numeracy are paying off.
“Every time a child leaves school without maths or English, they suffer underemployment and they suffer from not being able to matriculate,” he said.
“It means that more persons are doing better than before. And we need to continue on that trend.”
English A recorded one of the sharpest improvements in 2025, climbing five percentage points to 80 per cent. More candidates secured top grades, with Grade I passes up from 21 per cent to 25 per cent and Grade III passes from 26 per cent to 27 per cent.
Mathematics, still below pre-2024 levels, showed a modest recovery to 39 per cent. Grade I passes rose from six per cent to eight per cent, Grade II from 17 per cent to 18 per cent, and Grade III from 11 per cent to 13 per cent.
Wesley said that while progress was encouraging, more work was needed: “Of course, we have not reached where we want to reach, but certainly the indicators are moving in the right direction. So whatever you are doing, continue to do it because it is bearing fruit.”
Director of Operations Dr Nichole Manning reported that beyond maths and English A, there were improved results in additional mathematics, agricultural science, Caribbean history, geography, principles of accounts and principles of business.
However, performance declined in chemistry, English B, family resource management and social studies – the latter a concern given it is CSEC’s largest subject by candidate numbers.
Manning also reported that the overall CSEC absentee rate fell to 6.20 per cent, down from 7.17 per cent in 2024. She credited adjustments such as timetable flexibility for certain subjects.
She further revealed a record 80 exam irregularities this year, more than 40–50 per cent resulting in cancelled results: “This year we saw an all-time high of 80 irregularities. Not good. More than 40 to 50 per cent of those candidates would have their results cancelled.”
Most cases involved unauthorised devices such as mobile phones and smart watches, but there was also a spike in collusion for CSEC, rising from one case in 2024 to eight this year.
Manning said that, for the first time, a graduated penalty system was introduced: “If the candidate can have the phone on them, but they may not have been using the phone, [that is] there’s no evidence of them using the phone, the penalty could never be the same.”
“We beg and plead every year,” she added, noting that some students openly admitted to trying to search for answers online during exams.
Manning also reported that 53.17 per cent of CSEC candidates and 69.44 per cent of CAPE candidates who opted for online testing actually took their exams electronically. Five subjects are now offered fully online. (SM)
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