New generation CAPE subjects do well at first sitting

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),{{more}} 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. In Unit 2, 74 candidates entered and all 74 achieved acceptable grades, the same as in 2014 at the first sitting.

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 on five Units.

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.

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.