CXC completes first fully digital exam cycle despite storm disruption

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has declared its first fully digital and hybrid examination cycle a success, with more than 10 000 candidates completing January’s tests despite severe disruptions caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica.

The regional examinations body reported that 10 481 candidates across 17 Caribbean states completed a total of 17 695 subject entries, marking a significant milestone in the region’s digital transformation.

During a press conference at its Barbados headquarters on Friday, CXC registrar and chief executive Dr Wayne Wesley hailed the January cycle — the first in CXC history to be administered as fully electronic and hybrid sessions — as a testament to both technological viability and institutional resilience.

The January examinations, which ran from January 5 to 29, were extended by four days to accommodate the new electronic delivery for high-volume subjects, including Mathematics and English. The council said it remained mindful of the realities on the ground in Jamaica following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

To ensure fairness, CXC implemented special humanitarian considerations, permitting 708 subject entries across 29 affected centres to utilise traditional paper-based examinations.

“In recognition of the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica, CXC granted special humanitarian consideration to affected schools,” Dr Wesley stated. “This reflects our commitment to equity and compassion in the face of natural disasters.”

Addressing minor operational hiccups during the transition, Dr Wesley was firm: “I wish to assure everyone that none of these issues compromised the integrity of the January 2026 examinations. No candidate will be adversely penalised as a result of irregularities that were outside CXC’s or their control.”

Operations director Dr Nicole Manning acknowledged that while the rollout had been largely successful, the organisation encountered isolated technical challenges, including internet connectivity issues and electrical outages.

Dr Manning explained that CXC maintains a collaborative approach to prevent future occurrences. 

She noted that the organisation works closely with national registrars and regional utility providers to ensure power and internet stability during examination windows, emphasising that it is “very important that as we partner with our electrical companies and our internet service providers that we are all on the same page so that whenever examinations are administered, we are geared towards ensuring that we have stability in those services”.

Responding to concerns regarding a potential two-tier system between well-resourced and under-resourced schools, Dr Manning highlighted that the Council’s infrastructure assessments are rigorous. She noted that the capacity required for smaller January sittings is minimal compared to the major May/June cycles, stating that “the facility equipment and all the infrastructure that is there for that to make it smooth, go through smoothly, the amount that is required for January is far less”.

Dr Manning confirmed that CXC has embedded mechanisms to ensure that no candidate is penalised for technical failures. “Absolutely,” she said, when asked if students could be guaranteed against losing exam time, explaining that where examinations started late, “the candidates would have been given their full time to sit the examinations”.

CXC applies its “compassionate considerations” policy for any hardship that may impact a student’s performance, as it “takes those situations into consideration and deals with them accordingly”, she said.

Reporting on the outcome of the January session, Dr Manning said that 96 per cent of the 10 481 registered candidates used the new digital-first delivery model across 16 Caribbean states.

Despite the transition to a new hybrid format, she confirmed that student performance remained consistent with—or exceeded—previous years. Nine of the 13 administered subjects saw improvements in performance. Significant gains were recorded in Social Studies, English A, English B, and Physics compared to the previous year.

While Mathematics saw a slight increase in performance of approximately one per cent, CXC acknowledged the need for further improvement and has prioritised this as a key discussion point for the upcoming regional education conference. Regarding the percentage of candidates attaining Grades 1 to 3, English A recorded 70.7 per cent, Principles of Business reached 69.94 per cent, English B achieved 62.35 per cent, Social Studies recorded 60.13 per cent, and Mathematics stood at 31.45 per cent.

Dr Manning emphasised that the hybrid model successfully mirrored the reliability of traditional paper-based exams. Real-time incident logging allowed for immediate resolution at testing centres, and a comprehensive audit trail ensured that any candidates impacted by delays were duly compensated with additional time.

“The digital natives performed with confidence,” she said, adding that the data confirmed the readiness of the regional infrastructure for the e-assessment model.

A continuing area of concern remains the rate of absenteeism among registered candidates. Dr Manning issued a strong call to action for students sitting the upcoming May/June examinations, noting that for every student who registers but does not show up, a valuable opportunity to perform and achieve is lost.

She encouraged all candidates to attend their exams, emphasising that they may be more prepared than they realise.