QC aims for top regional CAPE award

Aug 15, 2015 News

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While students of Queen’s College have over the years copped a number of regional awards, including the overall best performer at the level of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, strategic moves were engaged to accomplish a similar feat at the level of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) this year.
This was disclosed on Thursday by headmistress, Jackie Benn, who during an interview said that since 2013, “I did motivate my students to work together with the staff to try to get this particular award at the regional level”.
According to Benn, although the school is always pleased to have its students claim top regional CSEC prizes, “we have never been able to cop the regional prize for CAPE”.
She however noted that she is extremely proud of the performance of her students at both CAPE and CSEC. Their achievement, she reflected, is especially laudable, in light of the fact that a number of students had some constraints in preparing for their examinations.
Without specifying the nature of the constraints she made reference to, Benn disclosed that her students nevertheless “worked really hard and I am particularly pleased to see that despite the challenges they would have experienced, they excelled.”
“The entire school stands behind the students’ performances and we want to express congratulations to them and their parents who would have over the years contributed to their success.”
Benn also applauded the commitment of her teachers to what she described as “work well done,” as she pointed out that the role of the teachers was to prepare the students well and “we are happy they did make us very proud”.
But with the deliberate tactic employed to improve the performance at CAPE, Benn said that her school is very hopeful that when the Caribbean Examinations Council’s Final Awards Committee meets in October, that QC will be named among the education institutions that would have copped some of the awards.
She pointed out too, that while it is hoped that the school will claim subject prizes such as in the areas of Mathematics and Science “we are hoping to compete with Trinidad for the top prize at CAPE, and that was something that was set in motion two years ago.”
Among the top CAPE performers produced by QC this year are: Cecil Cox (6 ones, 1 three), Larissa Wiltshire (6 ones), Sasha Woodroffe (6 ones), Jonelle Europe (5 ones, 1 two), Elisa Hamilton (5 ones, 2 twos), Lisa John (5 ones, 1 two), Sharmila Ramlall (5 ones, 1 two), Rejean Sawh (5 ones, 2 twos, 1 three), Amanda Singh (5 ones), Nabeeha Ali (5 ones) and Phillipe Walker (5 ones, 2 twos and 2 threes).
A total of 961 candidates from nine secondary schools and five private centres wrote the May/June 2015 CAPE.
CAPE results are reported on a seven-point scale, that is, Grades I – VII, with grades I-V being deemed the acceptable standard for matriculation purposes. Grade I, according to Chief Education Officer Olato Sam, represents an excellent performance while grades II and III represent very good and good standards of performance respectively.
According to Sam, too, there was an increase noted in the number of candidates securing grades I to V this year. The overall pass rate obtained this year is 87.54 percent representing an improvement from last year’s 85.07 percent.
The CEO disclosed that in 24 units, candidates obtained 100 percent pass rate (with Grade I to V passes). These subject areas were:  Agricultural Science Unit 1; Art and Design Unit 1 and Unit 2; Food and Nutrition Unit 1; Geography Unit 1 and Unit 2; Information Technology Unit 1 and Unit 2; Spanish Unit 1 and Unit 2; Physical Education and Sports Unit 1 and Unit 2; Entrepreneurship Unit 1 and Unit 2; Tourism Unit 1 and Unit 2; Accounting Unit 2; Computer Science Unit 2; Electrical and Electronic Technology Unit 2; Food & Nutrition Unit 2; Digital Media Unit 2 and Performing Arts Unit 2 (Cinematic Arts, Dance and Drama).
Further, Sam informed that in the following 26 Units the pass rate of candidates was 75 percent or higher with Grade I to V passes: Accounting Unit 1; Applied Mathematics Unit 1; Biology Unit 1 and Unit 2; Caribbean Studies Unit 1; Communication Studies Unit 1; Computer Science Unit 1; Economics Unit 1; Environmental Science Unit 1 and Unit 2; Law Unit 1 and Unit 2; Literatures in English Unit 1 and Unit 2; Management of Business Unit 1 and Unit 2; Physics Unit 1 and Unit 2; Sociology Unit 1 and Unit 2; Digital Media Unit 1; Agricultural Science Unit 2; Applied Mathematics Unit 2; Chemistry Unit 2; Economics Unit 2 and Pure Mathematics Unit 2.
He said that in five units, candidates obtained a pass rate of 50 percent or higher, but below 75 percent with Grade One to Five passes. These units are: Chemistry Unit 1; Geometrical and Mechanical Engineer Drawing Unit 1; History Unit 1; Pure Mathematics Unit 1 and History Unit 2.
Among the new subjects written for the first time this year were: Agricultural Science Unit 1 and Unit 2, Entrepreneurship Unit 1 and Unit 2, Physical Education and Sports Unit 1 and Unit 2; Performing Arts Unit 2 and Tourism Unit 1 and Unit 2.  A 100 percent pass rate was secured in all of these Units except Agricultural Science Unit 2 where a 95.45 percent pass rate was recorded, according to Sam.
Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies, he added, continued this year to record an over 95 percent pass rate while Pure Mathematics Unit 1 declined from 57.73 percent in 2014 to 54.98 percent in 2015.
The gender distribution of the overall pass rate for CAPE 2015, Sam disclosed, is 35.2 percent males and 64.8 percent females.

Pic name Jackie Benn
Caption: QC Principal, Jackie Benn

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