SVG students to write CPEA July 27 and 28

JULY 27 AND 28 are the dates set for Grade 6 students in St Vincent and the Grenadines to sit the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) examinations this year.

But students sitting CSEC and CAPE examinations in 2021 may have to wait another week for exact dates of those external examinations.

And while other students in the region will complete examinations in the original format with Papers 1, 2 and 3, Minister of Education, Curtis King, said special consideration has been granted for Vincentian students to do Paper 1 only and their SBAs.

“Given our circumstances, we have had several discussions regarding the administration of the suite of exams to be done by CXC for 2021 and basically, what has happened, St Vincent and the Grenadines, again given our own unique situation with the COVID19 pandemic but more so with the impact that it has had on us, coupled with the explosive eruption of La Soufriere volcano, we were forced to ask CXC to give us special consideration with regards to our exams. We are now at the final stage of the conclusion of the discussions,” the minister said at Youth and Adult Training for Employment (YATE) programme orientation last Thursday.

The Ministry was awaiting on final information regarding the examinations at least by early this week, if it had not been provided by June 4.

However, he was able to state conclusively that the CPEA exams will be held on July 27 and 28, while CSEC is expected to commence in early August.

The Education Minister also said that CAPE exams are likely to commence in mid-August.

TVET projects are expected to be audited in October 2021.

“The CXC has since drafted a timetable for CSEC and CAPE and sent it for our verification. That is why we have not yet made the official release giving you the exact dates for especially the CSEC and CAPE, because as I’m saying, we are verifying the draft timetable that was sent. We hope by the latest sometime next week to have all the official dates announced,” King said.

Dr Wayne Wesley, CXC’s registrar announced last week that CXC administered exams for the rest of the region will be delayed further by two weeks in an effort to allow for candidates to have extra preparation time.

Wesley said the exams; CAPE, CSEC and CCSLC will be administered in their original formats, with administration of all Papers 1, 2 and 3.

Under this new timeline, CXC examinations for other countries in the region will commence on June 28, with a release of results occurring in the last week of September through to the first week of October.

“Council took note of the continued effort to work with St Vincent and the Grenadines to ensure that the candidates will not be disenfranchised as a result of the volcanic eruption,” the registrar said.