For the first time in five years, the overall performance at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) has passed the 90 per cent mark. This year 92.48 per cent of entries for the 65 Units offered at CAPE achieved Grades I-V, the acceptable grades at CAPE.

Sixteen per cent of entries achieved Grade I, 21.72 per cent achieve Grade II, 23.57 per cent achieved Grade III, 18.88 per cent achieved Grade IV and 12.12 per cent achieved Grade V. Performance improved on 34 Units, declined on 21, remained the same on four Units and six Units were being tested for the first time.

New Generation Subjects

Of the New Generation CAPE subjects offered for the first time this year, all performed above average. For Animation and Game Design Unit 1, 95 per cent of entries achieved acceptable grades, while in Unit 2, the two candidates who wrote the examination both achieved acceptable grades.

Eighty per cent of entries for Green Engineering Unit 1 achieved acceptable grades, with most of the grades being in the Grades III-V band. No candidate registered for Unit 2 this year. For Financial Services Unit 1, 70 per cent of entries achieved acceptable grades. No candidate achieved Grade I and no candidate wrote Unit 2 this year.

For the other New Generation CAPE subjects, performance was relatively high. Physical Education and Sport Units 1 and 2 both recorded 99 per cent of acceptable grades. In the case of Unit 1, this is one per cent improvement over 2016 and in the case of Unit 2, it is at the same level of performance as in 2016.

Ninety-five per cent of entries for Performing Arts Unit 1 achieved acceptable grades, compared with 94 per cent in 2016. In Unit 2, all four options – Cinematic Arts, Music, Drama and Dance –  recorded 100 per cent acceptable grades.

Digital Media Unit 1 recorded 99 per cent of acceptable grade, compared with 98 per cent in 2016, while 98 per cent of entries achieved acceptable grades in Unit 2, compared with 100 per cent in 2016. Ninety-four per cent of entries for both Tourism Units 1 and 2 achieved acceptable grades this year compared with 88 per cent and 97 per cent respectively in 2016.

For Logistics and Supply Chain Operations Unit 2, 45 per cent of the 147 candidates who wrote the examination achieved acceptable grades. No one received Grades I and II this year. In Unit 1, however, 74 per cent of entries achieved acceptable grades.

Numbers

There was a decline of candidate entries for CAPE this year with 29, 916 candidates registering for the examination, compared with 30, 883 in 2016, a decrease of 967 candidates. The number of Unit entries also declined year on year from 123, 921 entries in 2016 to 117, 963 entries this year.  Communication Studies continues to be the largest CAPE Unit with 16, 137 entries, followed by Caribbean Studies with 11,918 entries, Biology Unit 1 takes the third spot with 5, 657 entries, Chemistry Unit 1 is fourth with 5, 031 and closing out the top Units is Management of Business Unit 1 with 4, 970 entries.

Females dominate the CAPE entries with 61 per cent of entries, while males make up the other 39 per cent. Candidates 18-years old account for 42 per cent of the entries, while those over 19-years old account for 32 per cent and 24 per cent are within the 17-year age group.