Secondary Educationbodies who held O-Level examinations in the Caribbean • The first Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations were held in 1979 in five subjects:

Secondary Education

2018 FAIE Annual State Conference

Kurt Baumbach, Academic Evaluation Services, Inc.

Caribbean Countries

Secondary Education - Caribbean Countries




Caribbean Diversity - Haiti

Population: 10.8 million Languages: French Haitian Creole (kreyòl ayisyen) GDP per capita (nominal / PPP): $719 / $1,819

Caribbean Diversity - Dominican Republic

Population: 10.6 million Language: Spanish GDP per capita (nominal / PPP): $7,543 / $17,096

Caribbean Diversity - Jamaica

Population: 2.8 million Language: English GDP per capita (nominal / PPP): $5,117 / $9,297

Caribbean Diversity - Trinidad and Tobago

Population: 1.3 million Language: English GDP per capita (nominal / PPP): $15,838 / $32,520

Caribbean Region - Definition

Caribbean Region - territories of other countries


United States: Puerto Rico

U.S. Virgin Islands


Netherlands: Aruba

Bonaire Curacao Saba*

St. Eustatius St. Maarten*


France: Martinique Guadeloupe

St. Martin St. Barthelemy

Caribbean Region - Cuba

Caribbean Region - British Pattern

• Anguilla*

• Antigua and Barbuda

• Barbados

• Belize

• British Virgin Islands*

• Cayman Islands*

• Dominica

• Grenada

• Guyana

• Jamaica

• Montserrat*

• St. Kitts & Nevis

• St. Lucia

• St. Vincent and the Grenadines

• Trinidad and Tobago

• Turks and Caicos Islands*


• Anguilla*

• Antigua and Barbuda

• Barbados

• Belize

• British Virgin Islands*

• Cayman Islands*

• Dominica

• Grenada

• Guyana

• Jamaica

• Montserrat*

• St. Kitts & Nevis

• St. Lucia

• St. Vincent and the Grenadines

• Trinidad and Tobago

• Turks and Caicos Islands*

Dutch islands that offer the

CXC examinations:

• Saba

• St. Maarten


• Language of instruction: English

• Primary education: 6 years

• Secondary education: 5 years

external examinations are held after 11 years of primary/secondary education Examinations:

• currently: Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate / CSEC

• formerly: General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level / O-Levels


Key points on British Pattern countries:

• school-issued diplomas do not represent the equivalent of U.S. high school graduation

• successful completion of external examinations does represent the equivalent of U.S. high school graduation


Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) • The CXC was established in 1972 to replace the U.K.-based examining

bodies who held O-Level examinations in the Caribbean • The first Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC)

examinations were held in 1979 in five subjects: Mathematics, English, Caribbean History, Integrated Science, and Geography

• Examinations are offered in January for re-sit or private candidates and in May-June for in-school or private candidates


Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) • Three proficiency levels:

• Basic (last administered in 2009) • General • Technical

• Basic proficiency examinations had ½ the weight of General/Technical

• Currently, a total of 33 subjects are offered • 28 at the General level • 5 at the Technical level


Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) • A minimum of 4 subject passes at the General or Technical level are

required, including English A, for university admission • A pass in Mathematics is also required for almost all university

programs • Individual programs may require more passes and/or passes in

specific subjects; for example, an engineering program may require 6 passes including Chemistry and Physics


Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Grade scale on the CSEC before 1998: • Grades I, II, and III were considered passing grades with credit • Grade IV was considered a passing grade without credit • Grade V was considered a failing grade • only subjects passed with credit considered for university admission


Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Grade scale on the CSEC starting May/June 1998: • Grades I, II, III, and IV are considered passing grades • Grades V and VI are considered failing grades • the concept of “credit passes” is phased out

Caribbean Region - CSEC before 1998




Caribbean Region - CSEC starting 1998



Caribbean Region - school-issued documents

Caribbean Region - CXC website






Caribbean Region - Bahamas

• Language of instruction: English


• Lower-secondary education: 3 years

• Upper-secondary education: 3 years (formerly 2 years)

external examinations are held after 12 years of primary/secondary education Examinations:

• currently: Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education / BGCSE

• formerly: General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level / O-Levels


Key points on the Bahamas:


• successful completion of external examinations does represent the equivalent of U.S. high school graduation


Examining bodies • Before 1993, various U.K. examining boards held examinations for

the O-Levels after eleven years of education • In 1993, the Ministry of Education introduced the Bahamas General

Certificate of Secondary Education / BGCSE in coordination with the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate

• Upper-secondary education was extended by one year for a total of 12 years of overall education

• The Ministry also holds Bahamas Junior Certificate examinations after 9th grade


Grading scales • BGCSE and O-Levels have the same grading scale • Scale is A to G, where grades A-B-C receive credit and grades D-E-F-G

are passing grades that do not receive credit • A minimum of four subject passes with credit, including English, are

required for university admission • As in the British Pattern countries, individual programs may require

more credit passes and/or credit passes in specific subjects







Caribbean Region - Haiti

• Language of instruction: French (Haitian Creole generally spoken)


• Lower-secondary education: 3 years

• Upper-secondary education: 4 years


Key points on Haiti: Through 2016, successful passing of two state examinations was required for university admission • Diplôme d’Études Secondaires, Première Partie - section Rhéto

(Diploma of Secondary Education, First Part - section Rheto[ric]) at the end of 12th grade

• Diplôme d’Études Secondaires, Deuxième Partie - section Philo (Diploma of Secondary Education, Second Part - section Philo[sophy]) at the end of 13th grade


Key points on Haiti: 2007 reforms, first implemented as a pilot program in 2011, Rhéto and Philo were replaced by a new credential • Known officially as the nouveau baccalauréat (new baccalaureate),

baccalauréat permanent (permanent baccalaureate), or baccalauréat unique (single baccalaureate)

• In practice, some of the new credentials are still using the Diplôme d’Études Secondaires, Deuxième Partie terminology

• It is not clear at this time when/if the new terminology will appear on students’ documents


Secondary Grading Scale in Haiti: • 70-100% - “A” • 60-69% - “B” • 50-59% - “C” Minimum passing grade is 50%; however, if the overall grade average is above 50%, individual subjects with grades below 50% may be considered passed

Caribbean Region - Haiti (traditional 1st part)



Caribbean Region - Haiti (traditional 2nd part)

Caribbean Region - Haiti (traditional 2nd part)

Caribbean Region – Haiti (reformed)








Caribbean Region - Dominican Republic

• Language of instruction: Spanish

• Basic education (1st cycle): 4 years

• Basic education (2nd cycle): 4 years

• Secondary education (1st cycle): 2 years

• Secondary education (2nd cycle): 2 years


Key points on the Dominican Republic:


• government-issued Bachillerato (Baccalaureate) diplomas do represent the equivalent of U.S. high school graduation


Key points on the Dominican Republic: • the first cycle of secondary education is known as tronco común

(common core) • the second cycle consists of three modalidades (tracks)

• general / académica (general / academic) • artística (artistic) • técnico profesional (professional-technical)

• all three modalidades lead to the Bachillerato and all three are valid for university admission


Secondary Grading Scale in the Dominican Republic: Unlike the diplomas, transcripts are school-issued and the grade scale may vary. Most common: • 90-100% - Excelente (Excellent) - A • 80-89% - Muy Bueno (Very Good) - B • 70-79% - Bueno (Good) - C • below 70% - Deficiente (Deficient) - F

















Caribbean Region - side-by-side comparisons

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

British Pattern primary secondary

Bahamas primary lower-secondary upper-secondary

Haiti primary lower-secondary upper-secondary

Dominican Republic basic 1st cycle basic 2nd cycle secondary 1st cycle secondary 2nd cycle

Caribbean Region - similarities and contrasts?

Thank you!

2018 FAIE Annual State Conference

Kurt Baumbach, Academic Evaluation Services, Inc.

[email protected]

Documents

Secondary Educationbodies who held O-Level examinations in the Caribbean • The first Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations were held in 1979 in five subjects: