CXC: SBAs to be phased out for at least 5 subjects

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is implementing a significant overhaul of its School Based Assessment (SBA) system, a framework in place for nearly five decades. Beginning in 2027, traditional coursework for most non-practical CSEC and CAPE subjects will be replaced by supervised assessments conducted under examination conditions.

This strategic shift is a direct response to growing concerns about the impact of generative artificial intelligence on the integrity of examinations. The council aims to preserve the credibility of its qualifications while acknowledging the pervasive influence of AI and other technological tools in education. For non-practical subjects like Mathematics, English, Caribbean History, Social Studies, and Principles of Business, students will complete Paper 032, an existing alternative assessment, under strict exam conditions. This redesigned format will provide students with topics a month in advance and allow them to bring reference notes into the examination room, retaining elements of extended learning.

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CXC will always act in the best interest of the region, even when that requires difficult decisions.

However, SBAs will continue for subjects where practical, project-based assessment is crucial for measuring skills, such as Agricultural Science, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, Technical Drawing, and Food Nutrition and Health. The CXC registrar and CEO, Dr. Wayne Wesley, emphasized that these reforms are not intended to discourage AI use as a learning tool but to ensure assessments accurately reflect a candidate's own knowledge. He stated, "The integrity of our qualifications is not negotiable," underscoring the council's responsibility to adapt its assessment model to reliably verify student work in the face of evolving technology. The reforms, developed after consultations across 21 Caribbean countries, will be introduced in phases starting in the 2027 academic year.

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The SBA has served Caribbean students well for nearly half a century, and we do not reform it lightly. But the integrity of our qualifications is not negotiable.