CXC: 80% of students received query results

The Caribbean Examination Council’s (CXC) said 80 per cent of students have received their final results from queries submitted for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) students.

CXC, in a media release on Monday, said it appreciated the patience and understanding of parents during the process to finalise grades for the examinations which happened in June 2020.

“Throughout the review process, we have endeavoured to be thorough and to comply with our quality assurance processes.”

It said, on December 31, 2020 final results were shared with CXC local registrars and on January 4 it will release grades to students via the online student portal.

Students and their parents across the region have been protesting since September 2020 after receiving what they considered unfair grades and demanded their papers be remarked.

Many of the students who have already received their revised grades received higher grades.

However, some parents are still at odds with CXC. They say although their children’s grades have been changed on the CXC portal, their schools say the council is advising that grades were unchanged.

“This is still craziness,” said one mother, whose sons both attend Presentation College, Chaguanas and did both CSEC and CAPE exams.

The boys’ mother, who requested anonymity, said her sons received an e-mail from the school on Monday indicating their grades had not been changed.

Newsday obtained the e-mail sent to parents which said, “Prior to Christmas vacation, students were e-mailed stating if they do not receive a follow up e-mail then there was no change to their profile/grade.”

She said when her sons checked the CXC portal, however, their grades had indeed changed. One of her son’s CSEC chemistry grade changed from a three to a four and her other son’s CAPE chemistry grade changed from a two to a one.

The mother said she called the school for clarification and was told the information the school received from CXC suggested that overall grades had not changed.

She also said students whose parents had not paid for their grades to be re-marked also received grade changes.

Another parent, who also wished to remain anonymous, said the same has happened at his son’s school. The student attends a well-known boys’ college in west Trinidad.

He said he contacted the school’s principal who was not aware that students at the school had received changed grades until Monday morning when he called. He said the principal told him he would contact CXC for clarification.

The father said his son’s grade was changed from a three to a two. He said students and parents are at a loss as to what to do now, adding the situation has already caused them much anxiety.

He said parents are yet to receive a definitive response from CXC as to how they arrived at the grades.

“CXC feel they bigger than everybody,” he said in frustration.

In its statement, CXC said, “CXC values and appreciates all our stakeholders’ feedback and in 2021 we are committed to listening to and engaging with each stakeholder group as we work together for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders.”

It also said the council is currently in dialogue with ministries of education across the region to finalise details for the administration of 2021 exams, adding the details of these meetings will be revealed in the coming weeks.