BIOLOGY
January 2017 was the second sitting of the examination based on the revised syllabus. Approximately 47 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 39 per cent in January 2016. Candidate performance improved on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice paper, Paper 02, the Structured Essay paper and Paper 032, the Alternate to the School-Based Assessment.

The Examining Committee noted that the topics that were problematic in this sitting were: surface area to volume ratio, human eye defects, vectors of infectious diseases, germination, the development of the embryo in humans, mitosis versus meiosis, structure of chromosomes and the definition of the term ‘species’.

CHEMISTRY
There was an improvement in the overall performance of candidates this year with approximately 39 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 37 per cent in January 2016. There were noted improvements at both the Grade I and II bands compared with Jauary 2016.

There was improvement in candidate performance on Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension, and Profile 2, Use of Knowledge. However, there was a decline in candidate performance on Profile 3, Experimental Skills, compared with January 2016.

Candidate performance also improved on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice paper, Paper 02, the Structured Essay paper and Paper 032, the Alternate to the School-Based Assessment.

ENGLISH A
Performance in the January 2017 examination declined by approximately 6 per cent. In 2017, approximately 62 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–III, compared with 56 per cent in January 2016.

Performance on Profile 1, Understanding, showed a significant increase with approximately 77 per cent of the candidates achieving Grades A–C in 2017 compared with 64 per cent in 2016. However, performance on Profile 2, Expression, declined. Approximately 37 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades A–C in 2017 compared with 56 per cent in 2016.

Performance on Paper 01, particularly at Grade I, improved. However, the percentage of candidates who achieved Grades I–III on Paper 02 declined. Approximately 37 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–III this year in Paper 02 compared with 56 per cent in 2016.

The following areas of weakness were noted in candidates’ scripts: weak organization and expression of ideas, basic errors in grammar and weak summary writing skills.

ENGLISH B
Approximately 57 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III, in January 2017 as well as January 2016. There was, however, a slight decline in performance at Grades I and II. Overall performance on Profile 1, Drama, and Profile 2, Poetry, was consistent while performance on, Profile 3, Prose Fiction, declined.

Candidates continue to experience challenges responding to questions which focus on the writers’ techniques. Candidates must be able to respond to questions which ask about the technique or device the writer uses and the effects created by the particular technique or device. This forms the basis of Part(c) of every question in the Paper 02 examination.

HUMAN AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY
This year, there was a slight decline in the overall performance of candidates compared with January 2016. Approximately 50 per cent of candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades
I–III, compared with 53 per cent in January 2016. This decline in candidate performance was evident at the Grade III band only, while improvements were noted at the Grade I and Grade II bands.

Candidate performance improved moderately on Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension, with 86 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades A-C, this year compared with 84 per cent in January 2016. Candidate performance remained consistent on Profile 2, Use of Knowledge, with 12 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades A-C, this year and in January 2016.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
In January 2017, approximately 63 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 60 per cent in January 2016.

There was a marginal increase in the performance at Grades I-III for Paper 01, the Multiple Choice paper - 85 per cent in January 2017 compared with 84 per cent in January 2016. There was a similar improved performance on Paper 02, the Structured paper and Paper 032, the Alternative to the School-Based Assessment.

The composite profile performance for Grades I-III declined by 1 per cent for Profile 2, Productivity Tools. However, the performance on Profile 1, Theory, and Profile 3, Problem Solving, improved by 3 and 4 per cent respectively, in January 2017 compared with January 2016.

MATHEMATICS
Approximately 36 per cent of the candidates who wrote the examination in January 2017 achieved Grades I-III, compared with 41 per cent in 2016. There was a notable decline in performance on both Paper 01, the Multiple Choice paper and Paper 02, the Extended Response paper compared with January 2016.

While there was a marked decline in candidate performance on Profile 1, Knowledge, and Profile 2, Comprehension, performance on Profile 3, Reasoning, remained consistent with 2016.

The decline in candidate performance was most noticeable in the areas of Problem Solving and Algebra but there was also a decline in Algebra, Relations, Functions and Graphs, Geometry and Trigonometry, Vectors and Matrices and Measurement.

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION
The overall performance in January 2017 declined compared with January 2016. Approximately 56 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I-III in January 2017 compared with 62 per cent in January 2016.

While candidates exhibited a better knowledge and comprehension of the components assessed in the examination, the application of the concepts remained a challenge. There was also a decline on the quality of work produced by the candidates who wrote Paper 032, the Alternative to the School-Based Assessment.

PHYSICS
There was an improvement in the overall performance of candidates in January 2017 with approximately 65 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 58 per cent in 2016. There were noted improvements at both the Grade I and II bands compared with January 2016.

There was also an improved candidate performance on Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension and Profile 2, Use of Knowledge. However, the performance on Profile 3, Experimental Skills, was consistent with January 2016.

Candidate performance improved on all papers: Paper 01, the Multiple Choice paper, Paper 02, the Structured Essay paper and Paper 032, the Alternate to the School-Based Assessment.

PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTS
There was an overall improved performance in January 2017 compared with January 2016. Approximately 49 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–III compared with 41 per cent in January 2016.

Candidates demonstrated competence assessing accounting practices in given situation and applying accounting techniques and methods to problems. However, candidates demonstrated weaknesses identifying, defining and explaining concepts, terms, principles and procedures.

PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS
The performance of candidates in January 2017 was consistent with that in January 2016. In both years, 85 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I-III. Performance was also consistent across the three papers: Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, Paper 02, the Essay and Paper 032, the Alternative to the School-Based Assessment.

Performance on Profile 1, Production and Operations Management, was consistent with 2016. There was a marginal decline in the performance on Profile 2, Marketing and Finance, and an improvement in performance on Profile 3, the Business Environment.

SOCIAL STUDIES
In January 2017, 30 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III compared with 36 per cent in 2016. The decline in performance was most evident on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice paper and on Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension. On Paper 01, the proportion of candidates achieving acceptable grades decreased from 79 per cent in January 2016 to 65 per cent in January 2017. On Profile 1, the proportion of candidates achieving acceptable grades decreased from 67 per cent to 54 per cent. Performance on Paper 02, and Profile 2, Application, Evaluation and Problem Solving, was consistent with 2016.

SPANISH
In January 2017, 62 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I-III compared with 65 per cent in January 2016. The performance on Profile 1, Listening, declined marginally with 77 per cent of the candidates achieving Grades A-C in January 2017 compared with 82 per cent in 2016. While peformance on Profile 2, Reading, and Profile 3, Speaking, was consistent, there was an improved performance on Profile 4, Writing.

ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICS
This year 69 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 68 per cent in 2016. As in previous years, candidates did not perform satisfactorily on Section 4 of Paper 02 which tested Mechanics and Statistics. However, there was an improved performance on the Paper 032 compared with 2016 performance.

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE – DOUBLE AWARD (DA)
Ninety-eight per cent of the candidates who wrote the DA Examination in 2017 achieved Grades I-III, compared with 94 per cent in 2016. There was a marked increase in performance on Papers 02 and 03, the Essay papers and Paper 04, the School-Based Assessment when compared with 2016. Candidate performance remained consistent on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice. An improved performance was seen on all profiles: Profile 01, Business of Farming, Profile 02, Crop Production and Profile 03, Animal Production, when compared with the previous year.

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE – SINGLE AWARD (SA)
Ninety-one per cent of the candidates who wrote the SA examination in 2017 achieved Grades I-III, compared with 88 per cent in 2016. Candidate performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, remained consistent with 2016, while there was a marked improvement on Paper 02, the Essay, and a slight decline on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice. While there was moderate improvement in performance on Profile 02, Crop Production and Profile 03, Animal Production, when compared with 2016, performance on Profile 01, Business of Farming, remained consistent.

BIOLOGY
In 2017, 73 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 80 per cent in 2016. The performance of candidates on the Data Analysis question and in the area of Respiration was good while the performance on questions which tested the concepts Living Organisms in the Environment and Reproduction was satisfactory.

CARIBBEAN HISTORY
There was improved performance in 2017 compared with 2016 as 75 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–III compared with 73 per cent in 2016. While the performance on the Knowledge and Comprehension profile was consistent with 2016, there was improvement on the Use of Knowledge, Enquiry and Communication profile as 66 per cent of candidates achieved profile Grades A–C compared with 62 per cent in 2016.

CHEMISTRY
There was slight decline in the overall performance of candidates compared with 2016, with 54 per cent of the candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I – III, compared with 56 per cent in 2016. An improved candidate performance was evident on Profile 2, Use of Knowledge, but there was a slight decline on Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension and Profile 3, Experimental Skills, compared with June 2016.

A decline in performance was also noted on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice and on Paper 02, the Structured Essay Paper. However, there was an improved performance on Paper 030, the School-Based Assessment.

ECONOMICS
In 2017, there was an increase in the percentage of candidates achieving Grades I–III. This year, 79 per cent achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 70 per cent in 2016. The increase in performance was noted on Paper 02, the Essay Paper and Paper 032, the Alternative to the School-Based Assessment. Performance on Paper 031, the School-Based Assessment remained consistent with previous years. There was also an improved performance on all Profiles: Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension and Profile 2, Interpretation and Analysis and Profile 3, Analysis.

ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT PREPARATION AND MANAGEMENT
This was the first administration of the Paper 01 using the Multiple Choice format.

There was an improved performance overall with 95 per cent of the candidates achieving Grades I–III compared with 91 per cent in 2016. There was also an improved performance on Paper 01 in 2017 when compared to 2016, as well as on Paper 02, the Production Paper and Paper 031, the School-Based Assessment. The performance on Paper 032, the Alternative to the SBA was consistent with 2016.

ENGLISH A
Overall performance in English A declined by approximately 3 per cent compared with 2016. Sixty-four per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–III compared with 67 per cent in 2016. However, the percentage of candidates who achieved Grade I showed a slight increase from 19 per cent in 2016 to 20 per cent in 2017. Improved performance was noted on Profile 1, Understanding while performance on Profile 2, Expression, declined.

ENGLISH B
The performance of candidates in the June 2017 English B examination showed a decline in the number of candidates achieving Grades I–III. Fifty per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–III in June 2017 compared with 62 per cent in June 2016. This decline in the overall performance was reflected in all three profiles: Profile 1, Drama, Profile 2, Poetry and Profile 3, Prose Fiction.

FAMILY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
This was the first examination of the revised syllabus. There were no changes to the structure of Paper 01. However, Paper 02 now consists of five compulsory questions.

There has been an improvement in the overall performance of candidates compared with 2016. Eighty-eight per cent of candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 79 per cent in 2016. This improvement in candidate performance was evident on Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension, Profile 2, Use of Knowledge and on Profile 3, Practical Skills.

FOOD AND NUTRITION AND HEALTH
Ninety-three per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 88 per cent in 2016. Performance on Paper 01 the Multiple–Choice, was consistent with that for 2016. There was an improvement in candidates’ performance on Paper 02, the Essay Paper while the performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, was consistent with that of 2016.

FRENCH
In 2017, 70 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable Grades, I-III, compared with 76 per cent in 2016. Whereas there was a marginal improvement in candidates’ performance on Profile 1, Listening, there was a decline in candidates’ performance on the other three profiles, Speaking, Reading and Writing.

GEOGRAPHY
Overall, there was a decrease in the percentage of candidates achieving Grades I–III in 2017. Sixty-five per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades compared with 70 per cent in 2016. This decrease was most noticeable on Profiles 1 and 2, Practical Skills and Knowledge and Comprehension, respectively. The percentage of candidates achieving Grades A–C on Profile 1 decreased from 90 per cent in 2016 to 78 per cent in 2017 and for Profile 2, the figure fell from 77 to 59 per cent. However, the performance on Profile 3, Use of Knowledge, showed improvement as 48 per cent of candidates achieved Grades A–C compared with 41 per cent in 2016.

HUMAN AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY
The overall performance of candidates this year was consistent with 2016, with 53 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I–III. There was, however, a notable improvement in performance at the Grade I and Grade II bands, which was attributed to improved performance on Paper 01, the Multiple-Choice. Candidate performance improved on Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension, while there was a decline in performance on Profile 2, Use of Knowledge.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
In 2017, this subject was examined for the first time since the new syllabus was introduced to schools in September 2015. In Option A, Electrical and Electronic Technology, 74 per cent of candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I—III. In Option B, Mechanical Engineering Technology, 76 per cent of candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I—III, and in Option C, Building and Furniture Technology, 81 per cent of candidates achieved Grades I—III. There was moderate performance on Paper 01 across the options. However, the performance on Paper 02 was unsatisfactory. Performance on Paper 03 was good, with an average of 86 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable Grades A—C across the options.
Generally, performance on this first examination was encouraging. However, there is a need to work towards improving performance on Paper 02 across the three options.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Eighty-eight per cent of the candidates who wrote the examination achieved Grades I–III in 2017 compared with 78 per cent in 2016. There was an improvement in the level of performance on all three papers as well as an improved performance in the Problem Solving questions on the Paper 02.

INTEGRATED SCIENCE
This year, there was a moderate increase in the number of candidates achieving acceptable grades with 67 per cent achieving Grades I-III compared with 64 per cent in 2016. There was some improvement seen on Profile 3, Experimental Skills, where the proportion of candidates who received Grade A increased to 45 per cent in 2017 compared with 30 per cent in 2016.

MATHEMATICS
Forty-five per cent of the candidates who wrote the examination in 2017 achieved Grades I-III, compared with 44 per cent in 2016. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, remained consistent with 2016, while there was a notable decline in performance on Paper 02, the Extended Response Paper. There was also a sharp decline in candidate performance on Profile 01, Knowledge, and Profile 03, Reasoning. Performance on Profile 02, Comprehension, remained consistent with 2016. Candidates experienced the most challenges with the areas of Algebra, Relations, Functions and Graphs and Measurement.

MUSIC
In 2017, 75 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–III compared with 81 per cent in 2016. However, candidates showed evidence of adequate preparation for the external examination and the Examining Committee also reported an improved quality of the work submitted for the School-Based Assessment component.

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION
The overall performance in Office Administration improved compared with 2016. The number of candidates who achieved Grades I–III increased to 86 per cent in 2017 from 74 per cent in 2016.

Candidates demonstrated higher levels of knowledge, comprehension and analysis in relation to time management along with itinerary, travel and meeting scheduling concepts. Candidates demonstrated weaknesses in the application of principles and practices of information management and communication concepts. They also experienced difficulties in assessing labour relation practices in the modern office and providing recommendations for changes for more effective results.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORT
The overall performance remains very impressive with 98 per cent of candidates achieving Grades I–III in 2017. In Profile 1, Theory, the performance at Grade A improved with 11 per cent achieving Grade A in 2017, compared with 6 per cent in 2016. Overall, performance on Profile 2, Practical, was excellent. Candidates continue to have difficulties with the theoretical aspects of the syllabus such as Health and Nutrition, and Fitness and Performance.

PHYSICS
In 2017, there was a slight decline in the overall performance of candidates. The percentage of candidates achieving Grades I–III was 61 per cent compared with 64 per cent in 2016. Performance on Paper 01 and Paper 03 improved while there was a decline in the performance on Paper 02, with 35 per cent of candidates achieving Grades I-III compared with 43 per cent in 2016. Candidates’ performance improved on Profile 2, Use of Knowledge, but there was a slight decline on Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension and Profile 3, Experimental Skills, compared with June 2016.

Many candidates demonstrated competence in Experimental Skills such as plotting and reading graphs as well as in making correct substitutions into a formula. However, some candidates had challenges drawing a smooth curve between the plotted points, changing the subject of the formula and correctly working with exponents.

PORTUGUESE
This was the first examination of the CSEC® Portuguese syllabus. Seventy-nine per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I-III. The performance of candidates in all profiles was commendable. However, some challenges were experienced in Profile 4, Writing.

PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTS
The overall performance in Principles of Accounts improved compared with that of 2016. The number of candidates who achieved Grades I–III increased to 72 per cent in 2017 from 67 per cent in 2016. Candidates demonstrated competence in questions related to definitions, explanations of concepts and application skills but experienced challenges in the application of principles and practices of accounts to cooperative concepts.

PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS
Eighty-nine per cent of candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I-III, compared with 90 per cent in 2016. Improved performance was evident on Paper 01, the Multiple-Choice and Paper 032, the Alternative to the School-Based Assessment, while there was a decline in the performance on Paper 02, the Structured Essay Paper. Candidate performance on the School-Based Assessment remained consistent with 2016. Further, candidate performance declined on Profile 1, Organizational Principles, while there was an improved performance on Profile 2, Production, Marketing and Finance. Candidate performance on Profile 3, The Business Environment, remained consistent with 2016.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Candidates’ performance in 2017 improved considerably compared with that of 2016. Approximately 82 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–III in 2017 compared with 69 per cent in 2016. In addition, overall performance improved on the three profiles assessed: Profile 1, Knowledge, Profile 2, Interpretation and Analysis and Profile 3, Application.

Christianity (Option A), continues to be the most popular option. Of the 3 565 candidates who registered for the examination, 3 430 registered for the Christianity (Option A), 18 registered for Hinduism (Option B), 69 registered for Islam (Option C) and 40 registered for Judaism (Option D).

SOCIAL STUDIES
Overall, there was a decline in the performance in 2017 as the percentage of candidates who achieved Grades I–III decreased from 59 per cent in 2016 to 55 per cent. The decline was most noticeable on Profile 2, Application, Evaluation and Problem Solving, as the percentage of candidates achieving Grades A–C decreased from 44 per cent in 2016 to 33 per cent in 2017. Further, the performance on Profile 1, Knowledge and Comprehension, declined as 66 per cent of candidates achieved Grades A–C in 2017 compared with 64 per cent in 2016.

SPANISH
In 2017, 67 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I-III compared with 71 per cent in 2016. While there was an improved performance on Profile 2, Speaking, there was a decline on the other three profiles, Listening, Reading and Writing, with the writing profile consistently being the lowest performing profile.

TECHNICAL DRAWING
The overall performance in Technical Drawing improved compared with 2016. The number of candidates who achieved Grades I–III increased to 77 per cent in 2017 from 68 per cent in 2016.

Candidates demonstrated competence in relation to drawing and labelling of working drawings with important elements in the sectional elevation. However, candidates demonstrated weaknesses in the production of assembly drawings and the reproduction of specific views. They also experienced difficulties in producing well-proportioned sketches for sketch and design problems.

TEXTILES, CLOTHING AND FASHION
There was an improved overall performance in 2017 compared with 2016. Seventy-six per cent of the candidates who wrote the examination achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–III, compared with 71 per cent in 2016. There was also an improved performance on all three profiles compared with 2016.

THEATRE ARTS
In 2017, there was a five per cent increase in candidates achieving Grades I–III compared with 2016. Ninety-seven per cent of candidates earned Grades I–III compared to 92 per cent in 2016.

Candidates continued to demonstrate challenges in understanding and using technical theatre terminology as was required in Question 01 of Paper 01.

VISUAL ARTS
Seventy-seven per cent of the candidates who wrote the examination in 2017 achieved Grades I–III compared with 68 per cent in 2016. This improved performance was also reflected in the performance on five of the expressive forms. Performance in Painting, Graphic and Communication Design, Textile Design and Manipulation, Leathercraft and Fibre and Decorative Arts improved compared with 2016. The percentage of candidates achieving Grades A–C declined in two of the eight expressive forms offered: Drawing, and Sculpture and Ceramics compared with 2016. Performance on the Reflective Journal at Grades A–C also improved compared with 2016.

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