Education Minister: BGCSE exam results have improved the most

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of Education and Technical Vocational Training Glenice Hannah-Martin says students sitting the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations this year have made the greatest progress, with 10.5 percent of students being recommended to sit the exams.

“These figures show that we are getting children back to school. We are mitigating the damage caused by the pandemic and preparing young people for success,” the Education Minister said at a press conference on the 2024 national examination results held at the Ministry of Education on Friday, August 16, 2024.

She said that at BGCSE level, A-grade results had increased by more than 2% in five years; B-grade results had increased by 1.5% in five years; C-grade results had increased by more than 0.5%, while D, E, F and G-grade results had decreased.

The Minister also noted that BGCSE results improved year on year between 2023 and 2024, with A to C grades increasing and D to G grades decreasing. More than half of students received A to C grades.

She said the performance of both male and female students had improved over the past five years.

The minister said, “From 2023 to 2024, the percentage of women obtaining A certificates has dropped from 9.78% to 11.31%, the percentage of women obtaining B certificates has dropped from 13.26% to 13.64%, the percentage of women obtaining C certificates has dropped from 26.42% to 29.14%, and the percentage of women obtaining D certificates to G certificates has declined.

For men, grade A increased from 8.10% to 9.2%, grade B from 10.72% to 11.66%, grade C from 25.2% to 26.92%, and grades D to G decreased, she said.

Director of Education Dominique McCartney Russell said a total of 5935 candidates registered for the exams from 107 centres, 41 of which were state schools and 66 were independent/private schools.

She said the number of candidates has increased by 10.05% compared to 2023, when there were 5393 candidates from 1100 centres. The total number of subjects offered is 27.

The director explained that the grades awarded indicated the learning outcomes of candidates, which were measured in different ways due to the different requirements of each subject.

“Due to the significant increase in the number of candidates this year, the number of grades awarded has increased significantly compared to last year. This year, 20,598 grades were awarded. This is an increase of 9.99% compared to 2023, when 18,727 grades were awarded.”

She said: “It is noteworthy that more than 80% (84.26% to be exact) of the grades were still in the A to E range, which has become the norm. This is an increase compared to the previous year and the highest level in five years.

The director noted that on the positive side, compared to last year, the percentage of A-C has increased, while the percentage of D-G has decreased. “Unfortunately, the percentage of U has also increased, but it is still not the highest in the past five years.”

She explained that the performance of males and females reflected the overall performance of BGCSE examinations. The percentage of males and females increased in Grades A to C, decreased in Grades D to G, and increased in Grade U.

The director said both groups of candidates had made significant progress and improved their scores. “While female candidates still scored higher than male candidates, male candidates had a greater increase in their scores in the B category and a greater decrease in their scores in the D and F categories.”

Number of candidates who received at least C grade in five subjects:

She said that in 2024, a total of 653 candidates obtained C grade or higher in five or more subjects. This accounted for 11.00% of the total number of candidates. In 2023, there were 544 candidates, accounting for 10.09% of the total number of candidates.

Number of candidates who received at least 5 subjects with a grade D or above:

The director said that in 2024, a total of 1,009 candidates received a minimum grade of D in at least five subjects. This accounts for 17.00% of the total number of candidates. In 2023, there were 901 candidates, accounting for 16.71% of the total number of candidates.

Number of candidates who achieved at least a grade C in Mathematics, English Language and Science:

She said that in 2024, a total of 431 candidates obtained at least C grade or higher in Mathematics, English and Science subjects. This accounted for 7.26% of the total number of candidates. In 2023, there were 303 candidates, accounting for 5.62% of the total number of candidates.