The January sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations commenced in Saint Lucia on Monday, January 5, with a significant departure from tradition.
All Paper One assignments in the CXC-run exams are being conducted online, while Papers Two and Three adopt a hybrid format that combines digital delivery with written responses.
According to Patterson Abraham, Acting Registrar of Examinations in the Ministry of Education, the move reflects greater use of technology in academic assessment.
“The students or candidates will be given the question paper on the laptop or device, and a question-and-answer booklet will be provided so that they can write their answers to the questions,” he explained.
Abraham also addressed logistical challenges, particularly the gap between the number of registered candidates and the availability of functional devices at examination centres. As a result, some subjects will be written in multiple sessions. He cited English A and Mathematics as examples, where candidate numbers are especially high.
“For English A, 135 students are registered for Castries Private and 45 students in Vieux Fort,” Abraham said. “Whereas for Mathematics, we have a total of 165 students registered for Castries Private. This means that the examination will be done in sessions, given that there are only approximately 75 functional laptops at the centre. Students will be grouped.”
The session-based approach means that not all candidates will write their exams at the same time, requiring some students to wait before being called into the examination room. He encouraged candidates to prepare for any downtime in a practical way.
“This means that students or candidates need to walk with lunch or their study material so while they are waiting, they can engage in something constructive,” he said.
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