The 10 Units of five New Generation CAPE subjects which were offered for the first time in the
May/June 2015 sitting performed very well. More than 90 per cent of entries in all of the Units
achieved Grades I-V, which are the acceptable grades at CAPE®.
Seven of the Units: Agricultural Science Units 1 and 2, Performing Arts Unit 2 (Dance), Performing
Arts Unit 2 (Drama), Performing Arts Unit 2 (Cinematic Arts) Entrepreneurship Unit 2 and Physical
Education and Sport Unit 2 all achieved 100 per cent of acceptable grades. In three of the Units –
Performing Arts Unit 1, Performing Arts Unit 2 (Dance), Performing Arts Unit 2 (Drama), Performing
Arts Unit 2 (Cinematic Arts), Physical Education and Sport Unit 2 – no candidate achieved a Grade I.
Twenty-three per cent of entries for Entrepreneurship Unit 2 achieved Grade I; this was the highest
percentage of Grades Is for any of the New Generation CAPE units. Ninety-six per cent of entries for
Entrepreneurship Unit 1 achieved acceptable grades. This was also the New Generation Unit with
the highest number of entries, 1541 entries.
For Physical Education and Sport Unit 1, ninety-eight per cent of the 552 entries achieved acceptable
grades. Only two candidates sat Physical Education and Sport Unit 2 and both candidates achieved
Grade III.
Ninety-seven per cent Of the 567 candidates who took Tourism Unit 1, achieved Grades I-V. Twenty-
one candidates entered for Tourism Unit 2 and 97 per cent achieved acceptable grades.
Digital Media, the other New Generation CAPE subject was offered for the second time this year.
Two hundred and nineteen candidates entered for Unit 1 and 94 per cent achieved acceptable
grades compared to 100 per cent in 2014 at the first sitting. Unit 2, seventy-four candidates entered
and all 24 achieved acceptable grades, the same as in 2014 at the first sitting.
Overall
Once again, the overall performance at CAPE remains steady at 90 per cent of acceptable grades,
similar to the last three years. Performance improved on 21 Units, declined on 22 Units and
remained the same five Units.
Mathematics and Sciences
There was mixed performance in the Mathematics and Science cluster this year. Some Units saw
slight improvements, some slight declines and on others performance remained the same.
Both Units of Applied Mathematics saw a decline in performance when compared with that of 2014.
Seventy-eight per cent of entries for Unit 1 achieved acceptable grades this year compared with 89
per cent in 2014. Similarly in Applied Mathematics Unit 2, eighty-six per cent of entries achieved
acceptable grades this year compared with 92 per cent in 2014.
There was a slight decline in performance on both Units of Biology. Eighty-nine per cent of entries
for Biology Unit 1 achieved acceptable grades this year compared with 86 per cent in 2014; while for
Unit 2, 86 per cent achieved similar grades this year compared with 92 per cent in 2014.
Performance on Chemistry Unit 1 remained consistent with last year’s with 85 per cent of entries
achieving acceptable grades in both years. In Unit 2, there was a slight decline with 93 per cent this
year compared with 95 per cent in 2014.
Physics showed similar trend, with 92 per cent of entries for Unit 1 achieving acceptable grades in
both years, while for Physics Unit 2, there was a slight decline this year, 93 per cent of acceptable
grades compared with 95 per cent last year.
Performance was mixed on both Units of Pure Mathematics; this year performance declined on Unit
1 with 66 per cent of entries achieving acceptable grades compared with 69 per cent in 2014. Unit 2
however saw a marginally improvement with 86 per cent of entries this year achieving acceptable
grades compared with 84 per cent in 2014.
Environmental Science Unit 2 witnessed a two-per cent improvement in performance this year with
96 per cent of entries achieving this year compared with 94 per cent in 2014. In Unit 1, the fortunes
were reversed with 89 per cent of entries achieving Grades I-V compared with 95 per cent in 2014.
Business
With the exception of Accounting Unit 1, the Units in the business cluster saw an improvement in
performance. Performance on Accounting Unit 2, had a 12-per cent improvement when compared
with 2014; ninety-one per cent of entries achieved acceptable grades when compared with 79 per
cent in 2014. In Unit 1, there was a four-per cent decline, from 96 per cent in 2014 to 92 per cent in
2015.
Performance on both Units of Economics improved slightly when compared with 2014. Eighty-four
per cent of entries achieved acceptable grades in Unit 1, compared with 82 per cent last year; while
for Economics Unit 2, eighty-eight per cent achieved similar grades in 2015 compared with 85 per
cent in 2014.
The two Units of Management of Business trended upwards this year. For Unit 1, eighty-eight per
cent of entries achieved acceptable grades compared with 86 per cent in 2014; while for Unit 2,
eighty-eight per cent gained acceptable grades compared with 84 per cent in 2014.
Humanities
Performance in the humanities cluster of subjects remained steady in most Units when compared
with performance last year.
For French Unit 1, ninety-eight per cent entries achieved acceptable grades this year compared with
97 per cent in 2014, while for Unit 2, ninety-eight per cent achieved similar grades this year
compared with 99 per cent last year.
History Unit 1 saw an eight per cent decline with 71 per cent of entries achieving acceptable grades
this year compared with 79 per cent in 2014. For History Unit 2, eighty-three per cent of entries
achieved acceptable grades this year compared with 82 per cent last year.
Both Units of Law was a four per cent improvement over 2014; Unit 1 had 88 per cent of acceptable
grades in 2015 compared with 84 per cent last year, while Unit 2 had 87 per cent of acceptable
grades compared with 83 per cent in 2014.
Performance on both Units of Sociology Unit 2 was steady when compared with that of 2014:,
ninety-three per cent of entries achieved acceptable grades this year and in 2014, and in Unit 1, 86?
per cent gained acceptable grades this year compared with 85 per cent in 2014.
Both Units of Spanish also performed steady with 93 per cent of entries in Unit 1 achieving
acceptable grades compared with 92 per cent in 2014, and 92 per cent achieving similar grades in
Unit 2 this year compared with 93 per cent in 2015.
Literatures in English Unit 1 saw a six per cent (88 per cent in 2015 compared with 94 per cent in
2014) decline, while Unit 2 saw a four per cent (90 per cent in 2015 and 94 per cent in 2014).
Core Subjects
Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies – the two core subjects at CAPE – saw improvement in
performance this year. Ninety-five per cent of entries for Caribbean Studies achieved acceptable
grades in 2015 compared with 93 per cent in 2014. For Communication Studies 98 per cent achieved
those grades in 2015 compared with 96 per cent in 2014.
Growth
CAPE continues to grow year on year in both candidate entries and Unit entries. This year, 30,545
candidates entered for CAPE, compared with 29,378 who entered in 2014- an increase 1, 167
candidates. These candidates submitted 120, 599 Unit entries.
Communication Studies continues to be the largest subject at CAPE with 16, 944 entries this year, up
from 15,625 entries last year. Caribbean Studies still holds the number two place with 12,375
entries, up from 11, 941 last year.
Pure Mathematics Unit 1 with 5, 744 occupies the third position, followed by Biology Unit 1 with
5,706 and Chemistry Unit 1 rounds off the top five largest Units at CAPE.
Almost half the CAPE population, 43.4 per cent, are 18 years old, while candidates 19 years old and
over make up 32 per cent and those 17 years old comprise another 22 per cent.
For further information, please contact Cleveland Sam, Public Information Officer at (246) 227 1892 or via e-mail @
CSam@cxc.org.