Paper or digital? Students on CXC exam shift

Schools across the Caribbean have begun administering digital Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) tests for the May/June examination period, but students remain divided on the transition, with concerns ranging from technical glitches to cheating and loss of “humanity”.

Outside schools, students told Barbados TODAY that while digital exams can be more convenient, paper remains more reliable for lengthy written responses.

Harrison College student Tai Gill said he preferred digital multiple-choice exams because they were easier to manage during testing: “Instead of having to like, draw little answers on a check sheet, you can’t let the wind blow or anything like that.”

He also pointed to advantages for listening-based subjects such as Communication Studies.

“You get your own headphones, you get your own laptop, you know, it’s easier,” he said, adding that digital testing removed “the unfairness of trying to listen to a teacher from afar”.

But the Lower Sixth student said he would still choose paper for written exams.

“Instead of having limited desk space… It’s more reliable,” he explained. “I have a laptop here, my sheet that I brought, my number here, my data booklet depending on if it’s sciences, and then my paper here for working.”

Traditional answer booklets were more comfortable to write on, he added. “Your handwriting looks better, so it feels better to write.”

Christ Church Foundation School student Na’Zyia Clarke was firmly in favour of paper exams, “because it’s kind of like keeping the tradition”.

“Everything is going digital and online. I think we need to keep it… old time-ish. We should stick to paper.”

When asked about her concerns surrounding digital testing, Clarke said cheating and artificial intelligence worried her most.

“Students can find some way to cheat,” she said. “And just like you losing humanity in general and AI taking over.”

Sarah Francis of Springer Memorial Secondary School also leaned toward paper exams, mainly because of fears surrounding technology failures.

“Paper exams because the computer might glitch,” she said.

Still, she admitted she was comfortable with either format, adding: “I don’t really mind either of them.”

The comments come months after the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) announced plans to move all secondary school assessments fully online within the next three to five years.

In January, more than 10 000 students across the region sat digital and hybrid examinations for the first time. While CXC later described the rollout as successful, parents and advocacy groups raised concerns about internet issues, delayed starts and insufficient devices at some testing centres.

 

(LE)