NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (October 02, 2020) — The following is a statement issued by Hon. Troy Liburd, Junior Minister of Education on the Overseas Examinations preliminary results 2020.

The Ministry of Education, Nevis, congratulates all students on their performance in this year’s sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) and the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC) exams.

We are extremely proud of the display of resilience and perseverance by our students in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, while managing the pressure of final assessments. Commendations are also extended to the principals, teachers, parents and supporters who were instrumental in the students’ performance during this examination period.

The COVID-19 pandemic has no doubt caused unprecedented disruptions on a global level. This year, the May/June sitting of overseas examinations were delayed and administered through a modified approach:

1. Selected exams were administered online or via Electronic Testing (E-Testing)
2. Exams were administered in Multiple Choice format (Paper 1)
3. Final grades were awarded based on the School Based Assessments (SBAs) and Paper 1
4. Private candidates were given a paper 03-2 in place of SBAs since these candidates were not required to prepare SBAs.

CAPE exams were administered from July 13^th to July 31^st, 2020. CSEC exams were administered from July 13^th to August 4^th, 2020. CCSLC exams were administered from August 5^th to August 7^th, 2020. However, as a result of the passage of Tropical Cyclone #9, CSEC and CAPE exams which were scheduled to be administered on July 29^th, 2020, were postponed and rescheduled to August 11^th and 12^th.

During the exam period, students were required to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols of wearing masks, hand sanitization and temperature checks prior to entering exam centers, and to physical distancing protocols throughout the process. As a result, candidates were expected to arrive onsite at least forty-five (45) minutes prior to the start of the examination. Where large class numbers prohibited effective social distancing, exams had to be administered through shifts.

The following is a synopsis of the preliminary results for overseas examinations administered on Nevis:

• A total of three hundred and ninety-four (394) candidates sat exams at the Gingerland Secondary School.  Three hundred and fifty-nine (359) candidates passed, reflecting a 91.1 percent pass rate.
• A total of six hundred and forty-two (642) candidates sat exams at the Charlestown Secondary School.  Five hundred and sixty-eight (568) students passed, reflecting an 88.5 percent pass rate.
• At the Nevis International Secondary School, one hundred and seventeen (117) candidates sat exams. Eighty-five (85) candidates passed, a percentage of seventy-three (73 percent).
• Three hundred and eleven (311) private candidates sat exams. Two hundred and thirty passed (230), for a pass rate of 74 percent.
• At the Nevis Sixth Form College, two hundred and eighty-eight (288) candidate sat CAPE Unit 1 exams. Two hundred and eighty-one (281) acceptable grades were returned.
• Two hundred and five (205) candidates sat CAPE Unit 2 exams. Two hundred and two (202) acceptable grades were returned.

The Ministry expresses thanks to candidates for their patience and cooperation during the examination period. We also take this time to say kudos to the Examinations Unit and other education officials at the Department of Education, principals, invigilators and school ancillary staff for ensuring that the examinations were administered seamlessly while observing the new protocols.

We look forward to releasing additional details in the upcoming weeks.