Less than half the students taking Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Mathematics got a Grade 4 or higher and the English A results were hardly better.

A Ministry of Education release has noted “excellent” and “satisfactory” performances at this year’s CSEC exams for 24 subjects but in the core subjects of English A and Mathematics the results were deemed unsatisfactory.

In relation to the May/June CSEC results, the release noted that 37.4% of candidates obtained Grade 1-Grade 3 passes in English A, while the total rose to 68.1% when Grade 4 was included.

In Mathematics, Grades 1 to 3 passes totalled 24.8% of the total and with Grade 4 included, 44.8 per cent. Other performance areas deemed unsatisfactory were Visual Arts, Technical Drawing and Typewriting.

The release noted that of 31 subjects offered at the examination, the results indicated excellent performance in nine at the general and technical proficiencies. The subjects were Agriculture Science (AS), Agriculture Science (DA), building Technology (Woods), Clothing and Textiles, Electrical Technology, Home Management, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Office Procedures and Music.

The release said that the rate of Grade 1 to Grade 3 passes in these subjects exceeded 75% while the Grade 1 to Grade 4 passes exceeded 90 per cent. It should be noted, however, that fewer students sat these subjects.

Satisfactory performance was recorded in Agriculture Science (CS), Biology, Building Technology (Construction), Caribbean History, Chemistry, English B, Food and Nutrition, French, Information Technology (Technical), Integrated Science, Physics, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Social Studies and Spanish.

In each of these subjects, Grade 1 to Grade 3 passes exceeded 50%, while with Grade 4, the passes were in excess of 75% except for two of the subjects, namely, English B and Information Technology (General).

The ministry’s release noted that several candidates from secondary schools had obtained Grade One passes in five subjects or more for which a complete list was being prepared.