W
hile the Regional results for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examination in both Mathematics and English this year have been described as dismal in many sections, the former mentioned subject area did see a few candidates scoring full marks on each paper.
This is according to Senior Assistant Registrar, Dr Gordon Harewood.
He lamented though that the disturbing fact is that the results show that some concepts which should have really been mastered at the lower secondary level are challenging to candidates.
He made reference to very simple algebra and perimeter questions which according to him saw too many candidates becoming lost in their responses.
“We (CXC) do common entrance examinations for two countries and we also do the Caribbean Primary-Exit Assessment (CPA) and we ask those kinds of questions and students don’t howl and scream and say it is too difficult, but when we present similar questions to CSEC candidates they are not doing well as they should,” Dr Harewood disclosed.
Despite the evident decline in Mathematics and English this year, the Senior Assistant Registrar said that there was commendable performances in a new subject area CXC introduced this year. Although entries were small, he revealed that approximately 58 per cent of the candidates obtained Grade One through Three in Additional Mathematics.
As such, he said that CXC will be seeking to encourage candidates who intend to go on to do Pure Maths at CAPE to take up Additional Maths.
He revealed that for many years the Pure Maths Awards Committee has been complaining that students have been embarking on the Pure Maths Programme with gaps having done only CSEC Maths.
“There are still gaps which they need to remedy before they can deal well with the Pure Maths programme.
This syllabus was constructed specifically with that in mind and it does provide a great platform for success at CAPE Pure Maths and especially for those students who may do (CSEC) Maths in Third or Fourth Forms and spend a year in Fifth Form without doing Maths again until Sixth Form.”
According to Dr Harewood, it would be best for students to do it early then go on to do the Additional Maths in Fifth Form and be quite ready for the for the Pure Maths in Sixth Form, Dr Harewood explained.
