CXC exams to begin on July 27 – Firstlook

CXC exams will begin on July 27

Jamaican students will begin sitting for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Level Examination (CAPE) on July 27.
The Minister responsible for Education, Youth and Information, Karl Samuda, made the announcement during a digital press conference held at Jamaica House on Monday (May 18).
“We will draft the CXC on July 27. It will take about a few weeks in August to complete it, but the process will begin and the social distancing issue can be easily resolved because all the other children are on holiday, which will be very convenient. We will get through this smoothly,” Minister Samuda said.
He added: “We will now work on the logistical arrangements so that anyone sitting the exam will not be impacted in any way beyond the challenges they have already faced.”
Minister Samuda said the decision to go ahead with the exams was taken after a meeting with 135 principals and a number of public and private exam coordinators.
The Indian government had previously said it could not approve the decision to hold the exams in July as local students were facing many challenges due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Minister Samuda noted that although not all schools are at the same level of preparedness, “we will do everything in our power to ensure that students are facilitated in the best possible way to give them the best opportunities to maximise their potential for the future”.
The exam will be conducted in two modes – internet and paper-based.
In addition, Minister Samuda noted that Jamaica expects local examination bodies to use student-based assessment (SBA) scores through predictive testing to determine examination grades for local students.