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Preliminary CXC results indicate BVI performed ‘exceptionally well’ in exams

Dr Natalio Wheatley

Preliminary results indicate that the British Virgin Islands recorded a 100 percent pass rate across nine subjects in the 2019 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Some 375 local candidates sat 28 subjects in the examinations which are administered by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).

Education Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley said the initial results showed that the students received a 100 percent pass rate in Agricultural Science, Information Technology, Office Administration, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts, Family and Resource Management, Textiles, Clothing and Fashion, Food, Nutrition and Health and Industrial Technology Building.

“Of the 2019 cohort who sat examinations, 13.74 percent received Grade one passes, 28.98 percent received Grade Two passes, and 31.52 percent received Grade 3 passes. This equates to 74.24 per cent of candidates earning Grades 1 to 3 passes,” Dr Wheatley said.

Notably, the territory received a 90 percent average pass rate with grades one to three in Chemistry, English B, Geography, Principles of Accounts, Electronic Document Preparation and Management and Physical Education & Sport.

In the other subjects such as Mathematics, the territory attained a 60.3 per cent pass rate, while a 62.5 pass rate was noted for English A.

Exceptional performance in CAPE

In the meantime, Dr Wheatley said the 28 local students who sat Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) performed ‘exceptionally well’.

“Of the 2019 cohort who sat examinations, 5.3 percent received Grade-one passes, 18.7 percent received Grade-two passes, 12 percent received Grade-three passes, 17.3 per cent received Grade-four passes, and 29.3 percent received Grade five passes,” the minister said.

“This equates to an 82.7 percent pass rate in CAPE,” he added.

The top-performing subjects with 100 percent passes included Entrepreneurship — units one and two. Candidates are said to have received only grades one and two passes.

CAPE students who sat and unit-two Biology received no lower than grade Two and Three passes. There were also 100 per cent passes in Caribbean Studies and Chemistry. Additionally, 95.5 per cent of students passed Integrated Mathematics.

Results are only preliminary

The Education Minister reiterated that the aforementioned results are only a “preliminary synopsis of the CXC Examinations results.”

He said, “It must be noted that CXC is presently making final checks and changes may be made before or by the end of the week.”

Editor’s Note:

In CSEC, only grades One to Three are accepted as passes. In CAPE, grades One to Five are considered to be passes. A Grade-One pass represents an ‘excellent performance’ while Grade Five represents an ‘acceptable standard’.

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23 Comments

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  1. Question says:

    So why don’t they want the CXC exams as mandatory?
    It will be interesting to see what percentage of the graduates did not do the CXC exams.

    Like 9
    Dislike 3
  2. Parent says:

    Congrats to the children, their parents, the dedicated teachers and all who else made it possible.
    I know that the conditions under which students and teachers worked at the old Clarence Thomas building were far from ideal.

    Like 13
  3. Soeaking the truth today says:

    Take the praise Hon. Wheatley. That’s what you all seem to be doing. Cape performed exceptionally well yet you want to take it out. I’m not in education but I was not all bright about the additional year in school but I see the results of the decision. Never before did the BVI perform at this level in those regional exams. Put politics aside and talk the truth. Now I understand that the extra year will be optional. Guess what? Those who need it most will not do it. That’s exactly what will happen. Everything cannot be political. This will be the downfall of the country. If something is good and worked well regardless of who did it keep it. We are now lowering grades and standards etc to appease people who voted for us etc. Hon. Walwyn has his ways about him like all of us but he was very good education minister. Anybody who care to talk the truth would agree. Even these results for these CXC students is based on his policies and efforts. I know many of us have difficulties talking the truth because we only see green or red. Sad state.

    Like 56
    Dislike 2
    • @Speaking the truth today says:

      Totally agree!
      This VIP… They quick to drag the NDP through the mud, but won’t give Jack his Jacket when it’s needed!

      Like 35
      Dislike 5
    • @Speaking the truth today says:

      I have to agree with your comment as a parent. I agree that Myron had his ways about him but, he was a good educational Minister.He wanted the school children to excell to the highest.I wanted my son to excell so therefore,I made the choice to send my son away to the United States to finish High School.It is very competitive out here and you have to prepare your children for what is ahead.

      Like 26
      Dislike 1
      • Thank you says:

        Myron was a excellent education minister. A extra school year would have done good. The kids would have benefited. Now understand why the Asian kids are so smart, they go to school every day including Saturday and Sunday.

        Like 10
        Dislike 3
        • Not at the High School says:

          No one is saying that the extra year was not needed. All we were saying that it should have been K-8 in the primary school. If you never work as an educator this will be hard for you to understand. It should have been for the students who were just going into High School not the students who was already there. We as educators, citizens, parents we have to stop waking up and implementing ideas because we dream it last night. We have to consider the young people that will be affected. Congratulations to the students who did great. I have a problem with what the now minister did as soon as he got in office. It was bad to drop the standard that was put in place. If we want to be in line with other education systems we have to set high standard for our children to reach for. Lowering the grading system was wrong Mr. Minister.

          Like 4
          Dislike 2
          • Think for a minute says:

            @ not at the high school.I think that we have to consider cost when making decisions. To put additional classrooms and labs etc, additional teachers and so forth would have made this necessary additional year cost prohibitive at the primary school. The right decision was made to arrange it the way it was done. Nothing would have been done if it was attached to the primary school. We are now seeing the fruits of that decision. Good job former Minister.

  4. Umm says:

    The definition of ‘exceptional’ has changed?

    Like 13
  5. Hmmm says:

    If u look more closely at the results u will see that the better performance came from the grade 11 students.
    The additional year is a waste of time.

    Like 3
    Dislike 9
    • @ hmm says:

      My understanding is that the additional year is for students to do either CAPE or for the slower students to do the CXC subjects over a two year period.

      Like 3
      Dislike 1
    • Think says:

      @hmmmm. You have to be more critical thinker than that. You cannot make a blanket statement like that. Students have different abilities regardless of what class that they are in. Their performance depends on a number of different factors. The extra year from how I understand made provisions for different aptitude levels including Cape and dual enrollment at HLSCC.

  6. oh yeah says:

    Hon. Myron Walwyn was truly an exceptional Education Minister. Right now its looking like chalk replacing cheese. no wonder them lowering the grades- unfortunately to the detriment of the children.

    Like 17
    Dislike 2
  7. K says:

    We are not interested is pass rate….we want lniw how the kids did….who’s our top performer? How many sunjects did that individual obtain????

  8. Anonymous says:

    “Hon. Myron Walwyn was truly an exceptional Education Minister.”

    He is also bright, smart and politically foresighted. He is of strong personality, a natural trait many do not deal with easily or understand. Some even loathes such traits.

    He also genuinely cared about the future of our country and its people, and still does.

    I did not benefit personally by him or from his political career, the country did. And if the country benefitted, then i did also.

    Sadly, we still execute the brainwashed mechanisms of hating on and destroying the strongest that appear before us, completely ignorant of the fact that we are doing the enemy’s work against us for him.

    Like 14
    Dislike 1
    • @Anonymous says:

      Hon. MW proved that he was truly an exceptional Education Minister by tearing the BVI Education system apart single handedly. His demise was his dictatorship attitude. Not visiting ESHS to check on the deplorable conditions the teachers and students endured, after making inconsiderate decisions that affected them. Whatever success the students achieved is no thanks to the former minister. The students, teachers and parents are the ones who should be commended for their resilience. The thought that they almost had to repeat another year in this atmosphere would make anyone blood crawl.

      Like 1
      Dislike 7
  9. know how says:

    The additional year added on is a waste of time. I agree with Hon. Wheatley let the kids do CAPE at HLSCC and while doing CAPE they can be working on their associates degree. That is what was done in the past we worked on our GCE through Cambridge while doing our associates. At the completion of the two years we had an associates degree along with GCE O and A levels. We are not fools and dunces like a lot of people will like us and the world to believe. Let the people who know about education make decision not those who just cuting out a piece here and adding a piece there. Now we have a set of children whose self esteem have been trampled so badly that they did not do well in their CXC. A whole year wasted that could have towards their associates.

    Like 1
    Dislike 3
    • @know how says:

      Its telling that they cannot perform at a regional exam set to high standards but can perform at the local college Associate program. Its very telling that the college standards is not on par. We love to celebrate mediocrity in this place and always find an excuse for not doing the right thing. Look at the size of the student population in the BVI. We should have a top educational system with the best teachers. But the politicians would not fully invest in this and see it as priority! Because a well educated population will not be easily fooled and keep them accountable.
      Lets continue to live in our little bubble and cry for protectionist laws whilst the rest of the world develop competitively and educationally.

    • The year is needed says:

      Try asking a high school now a simple question like Who abolish slavery and when was it abolished ? . Then compare your time with them today . All of you just throwing blame . Students on the average are now less knowledge and so are some of the teachers . Thus the extra year is needed more than ever . Can we brag The we are still
      First on the OECS list ? Look
      Where the English and Maths percentage have dropped . It is going down a slippery slope . In your time the average parents were more involved in the life of their children . See how much is involved now

  10. The year is needed says:

    Try asking a high school now a simple question like Who abolish slavery and when was it abolished ? . Then compare your time with them today . All of you just throwing blame . Students on the average are now less knowledge and so are some of the teachers . Thus the extra year is needed more than ever . Can we brag The we are still
    First on the OECS list ? Look
    Where the English and Maths percentage have dropped . It is going down a slippery slope . In your time the average parents were more involved in the life of their children . See how much is involved now

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