2024 CPEA over; wait for results begins

There were one thousand, seven hundred and forty-five collective sighs of relief breathed across the country by Grade 6 students on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the conclusion of the 2024 Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA).

On May 15 and 16, students sat four examinations- Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, the results of which will be used to decide placement in secondary schools for the upcoming school year.

After the papers were completed on day one, some students at the St Martins Secondary School exited the exam Center appearing reserved. However, on Thursday, the mood improved drastically with students leaving the classrooms cheering, and greeting parents and teachers with hugs and smiles.

The exam Center accommodated three schools, Kingstown Government School, Lodge Village Government School, and the Kingstown Anglican School.

Students at the Center said the Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies papers were quite manageable. However the Mathematics paper was described by some students as “tricky” and “a bit challenging”.

Grade Six students from the Kingstown Anglican School were all smiles yesterday.

Grade Six Mathematics teacher at the Kingstown Anglican School (KAS), Mary Ann Webb, told SEARCHLIGHT that this subject usually presents some challenges for students, especially the word problems. She said as a strategy to overcome this, additional focus was placed on comprehending the problems and figuring out what is needed to solve them.

“What I had to pay extra attention to was the number sense, multiplication and division and [times]tables. For the word problems… sometimes they read the problem and they might not grasp what the problem is asking them to do,” Webb explained.

The Science and Social Studies teacher at the KAS told SEARCHLIGHT that the lead-up to the examination was a heavy workload, and the teachers worked to ensure that the children covered the material thoroughly.

“We did a lot of past papers, and we also made up our own tests as well because we try to get them as rounded and include as many questions as possible that we think would come on the CPEA exam. We did our best to give them as much exposure to any questions that might come and however it may come.”

She said that the students were taken through weeks of preparation which also included holiday classes with much needed breaks in between.

“You have to talk to them and tell them what is expected. We had after- school classes, we worked through the holidays. We try to not make them feel too pressured and gave them breaks.”

She said that the end of the two-day national examination is a big relief for not only the students but also the teachers.

“After the exam, yes, because you have done so much. You have prepared them as much as you can as teachers and helped them as much as you can. You know the pressure that they would go through. When the exam is finished, you feel that big relief. Until next year again.”

Webb also expressed similar sentiments as her colleague, noting that the wait for the release of the results will now be the nerve-wracking part.

“I am relieved, but I am also anxious for the results.”

A total of 873 boys and 872 girls completed this year’s CPEA. The exam accounts for 60 per cent of the students’ overall mark, while there is also the school-based component, and the internal assessment which account for the remaining 40 percent of the final mark.

Results of the CPEA are expected to be made available to the Ministry of Education sometime in June.