CXC success

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has announced a significant success for its pilot Caribbean Targeted Education Certificate (CTEC) in mathematics, reporting an 88% pass rate among the 2,535 students who took the exam in May-June 2026. This achievement marks a substantial turnaround from the "perennial under-performance" historically seen in the subject.

“

I am pleased indeed, and I am proud to announce that of these 2,535 candidates who wrote CTEC module one in the mathematics pilot examinations, 88 per cent achieved acceptable grades, and across the entire Caribbean only one candidate received the lowest grade.

Dr. Wayne Wesley, CXC registrar and chief executive officer, revealed the results during a live ceremony, highlighting that only one candidate received the lowest grade. He emphasized that the "overwhelming acceptance" of CTEC by the region is evident. "Measured against a generation in which barely one in three candidates succeed in a typical sitting, this achievement represents a remarkable turnaround," Wesley stated, underscoring the effectiveness of the new assessment method.

“

Measured against a generation in which barely one in three candidates succeed in a typical sitting, this achievement represents a remarkable turnaround.

Wesley explained the motivation behind CTEC, noting that for years, only about a third of candidates achieved acceptable grades in mathematics, a foundational subject. He described the traditional "all-or-nothing" assessment as a system that often failed to recognize the progress of students who learned material but did not pass the single, high-stakes exam. CTEC, unveiled in April 2025, aims to change this by assessing learning in "focused, achievable stages."

“

But that is precisely what these results demonstrate. When learning is assessed in focused, achievable stages, our students do more than cope; they excel, they engage, persist, and succeed.

"When learning is assessed in focused, achievable stages, our students do more than cope; they excel, they engage, persist, and succeed," Wesley said. He declared the pilot's success a "landmark result" that "belongs to the young people who earned it." The CTEC qualification maintains the same standard as the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and uses their syllabi, but with a modular approach to assessment.

“

The May-June mathematics pilot proves that the modular approach works for students, for classrooms, and for the region. This landmark result belongs to the young people who earned it.