Latest News

Increase in CSEC Passes

Ruel-Reid-3-640x425 (1)

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has announced an increase of 3.8 per cent in passes by students who sat the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations this year, when compared to 2017.

 

At the 2018 National Exit Examination Press Conference, held at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge in Kingston on August 16, the Minister said that of the total number of subject entries, 159,280 or 68.4 per cent recorded grades one to three, an increase of 3.8 per cent over the 2017 figure.

 

He noted that a total of 63,428 candidates were registered to sit the examinations, of which 37,875 (59.7 per cent) were females and 25, 553 (40.3 per cent) were males.

 

“Of those who entered, 59,580 (93.9 per cent) candidates sat, of which 46,443 (78 per cent) obtained grades one to three. A total of 35,819 females sat and 28,217 (78.8 per cent) obtained grades one to three, while some 23,761 males sat and 18, 226 (76.7) obtained grades one to three,” Senator Reid informed.

 

For 2018, the subjects of Mathematics and English Language had the largest number of entries and sittings, with percentage passes of 46.5 and 68.7, respectively.

 

“When the average attainment rates for Mathematics and English Language were compared with 2017 results, there were increases of 4.5 and 2.9 percentage points for Mathematics and English Language, respectively,” the Minister noted.

 

Males achieved higher percentage passes than females in the three subject areas – Biology (73.2 per cent compared to 70.9 per cent for females); Chemistry (57.2 per cent compared to 52.0 per cent for females) and Mathematics (47.3 per cent compared to 46.0 per cent for females).

 

The total number of subject entries for males were 100,333, with 91,949 being sat and 59,853 (65.1 per cent) attaining the required grades, while the total number of subject entries for females were 148,081, with 140, 891 being sat and 99,427 (70.6 per cent) attaining the required grades.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, speaks at Press Conference regarding the 2018 CSEC results, at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge & Conference Centre in Kingston, on Thursday (August 16).-