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Improved Showing For Non-Traditional CXC Subjects

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OBSERVER: THE less traditional subjects have shown marked improvement in the May/June 2017 sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

 

For public school CSEC entries, agricultural science single award recorded a pass rate of 91. 3 per cent, up from 86.8 per cent last year, while agricultural science double award recorded a 96.8 per cent pass rate, up from 94.3 per cent in 2016.

 

A total of 3,145 students sat agricultural science single award this year compared to 2940 last year. The number for agricultural science double award this year was 373, compared to 402 in 2016.

 

Technical drawing also showed improved performance this year, with 70. 2 per cent of the 3,664 candidates receiving a passing grade. The figure for 2016 was 63 per cent of 3,634 candidates.

 

There are also improvements in theatre arts — 88.1 per cent, up from 78.8 per cent in 2016; food and nutrition — 92 per cent, up from 89. 4 per cent last year; economics moved 12.8 percentage points up to 84.1 per cent; additional mathematics moved three percentage points to 65.3 per cent; while physical education and sport recorded 96. 2 per cent pass, up from from 96.0 per cent in 2016.

 

Further, the results showed that males achieved higher percentage passes than females in three subjects — biology, chemistry and electronic document preparation and management.

 

For CAPE, electrical and electronic technology saw a 29.6 percentage point increase this year, and integrated mathematics had a 28.8 percentage point increase over the previous year. However, applied mathematics and pure mathematics recorded a slight decline of 7.8 and 1.9 percentage points respectively when compared with 2016.

 

Unit 1 art and design, which had 84 candidaates, was the only subject with a 100 per cent pass rate.

 

For Unit 2, the subjects that recorded 100 passes were French, performing arts (cinematic arts), performing arts (dance) and performing arts (music).

 

The subjects with an average pass rate of over 90 per cent for unit 1 include biology, building and mechanical engineering drawing, Caribbean studies, chemistry, communication studies, digital media, electrical and electronic engineering technology, entrepreneurship, environmental science, food and nutrition, French, geography, green engineering, information technology, literatures in English, management of business, physical education and sport, physics and Spanish.

 

For Unit 2, the subjects with and average pass rate of over 90 per cent are art and design, biology, building and mechanical engineering, drawing, chemistry, computer science, economics, electrical and electronic engineering drawing option A and B, entrepreneurship, environmental science, food and nutrition, geography, information technology, law, literatures in English, physical education and sport, physics, sociology and tourism.

 

CAPTION: Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid speaks on Jamaica’s performance in the recent sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), at a press conference held Friday at the Ministry of Education, Heroes’ Circle. To his right is permanent secretary in the ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)