The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has announced major reforms to its School-Based Assessment (SBA) system, phasing out traditional SBAs in non-practical subjects in response to the rapid rise of generative AI and other technological innovations.
The reforms, which follow consultations across 21 Caribbean states and territories, will take effect from the 2027 academic year and are intended to strengthen assessment integrity across CXC examinations while recognising that learners and education systems are adjusting to the impact of AI.
CXC Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Dr Wayne Wesley stressed that the changes are not designed to discourage the use of generative AI, but to safeguard the integrity of the assessment process.
“CXC will always act in the best interest of the region, even when that requires difficult decisions. The SBA has served Caribbean students well for nearly half a century, and we do not reform it lightly.
“But the integrity of our qualifications is not negotiable. When the system that was designed to assess a student’s work can no longer reliably do so, we have an obligation to act, and to act decisively. That is precisely what this reformed framework represents.”
Under the new framework, SBAs will be retained for subjects that require practical, hands-on assessment, including Agricultural Science, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, Technical Drawing, and Food, Nutrition and Health. CXC said moderation of retained SBAs will also be strengthened.
However, traditional SBAs will be phased out for non-practical subjects such as Mathematics, English, Caribbean History, Social Studies, Principles of Business and Information Technology.
Instead, candidates will sit Paper 032, the existing alternative assessment, under examination conditions.
The revised assessment will introduce several changes aimed at preserving extended learning. Students will receive their assessment topics about one month before the examination, be given additional time to complete the paper and be allowed to bring reference notes into the examination room.
CXC Director of Operations Dr Nicole Manning said the redesigned assessment aims to preserve extended, reflective learning while restoring confidence in authorship and authenticity.
“A CXC qualification means something. It means something to employers, to universities, to parents, families and guardians, who have invested years of commitment and sacrifice into a child’s education,” she said.
“It is in our collective interest that we hold to this standard, which we have all worked so hard to build.”
Dr Manning also outlined the implementation timeline.
CAPE candidates in non-practical subjects will transition to Paper 032 from the May-June 2027 examinations.
For CSEC, schools will have the option in 2027 of using either the traditional SBA or Paper 032 for non-practical subjects. A full transition to Paper 032 will take effect for the May-June 2028 examination sitting.
CXC said SBA scores already earned will continue to be transferable under the existing two-year policy, while Paper 032 scores will also qualify for transfer under the same rule from 2027 onward.
