CXC Responds to criticisms over Cape Chemistry Unit 2 Paper 02

On the heels of criticisms by thousands of parents and students across the Caribbean over Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), Chemistry Unit 2 Paper 02, the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) has issued a response underlining the integrity of the examination. The disaffected parents and students, have launched a petition in which they are calling for the CXC to adjust the marking criteria for the paper. The following is the statement issued by the CXC:

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC®) wishes to assure all stakeholders of the integrity of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination® (CAPE®) Chemistry Unit 2 Paper 02 examination, which was conducted on 9 May 2024 across the region.

Concerns have been raised that the questions on the examination were focused on material from the CAPE® Chemistry Unit 1 syllabus, and not from the CAPE® Chemistry Unit 2 syllabus.

Mindful of the anxiety among candidates and parents arising from these concerns, CXC® immediately launched an investigation into this matter. These investigations have determined that the questions on the CAPE® Chemistry Unit 2 Paper 02 examination, were indeed designed for candidates to demonstrate knowledge of material covered by the CAPE® Chemistry Unit 2 syllabus.

As we continue to listen to the concerns by engaging with stakeholders, we stand by our robust quality assurance system which includes qualified professionals at all stages of the examination development process, ensuring the efficacy of the examinations. This system also allows for adjustments during the marking and grading process to ensure that candidates are not negatively affected by circumstances outside of their control.

The integrity of CXC’s assessments is critical to candidates and to the currency of our qualifications, in keeping with our mission to ‘develop the human capital of our Caribbean people through partnerships for global competitiveness.’

-EndFor further information, kindly contact us at +1 (246) 227-1700 or email cxcezo@cxc.org (Barbados), or for queries in Jamaica at + 1 (876) 630-5200 or email: cxcwzo@cxc.org.