NGSA 2026: Pass rates rise across all four core subjects

NGSA 2026: Pass rates rise across all four core subjects — CXC Director

Jul 11, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – Director of Operations at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Dr. Nicole Manning, announced on Friday that the 2026 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) recorded increased pass rates across all four core subject areas, with Mathematics posting the most notable gain.

Dr. Manning made the disclosure during the results announcement ceremony at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

NGSA 2026: Pass rates rise across all four core subjects — CXC Director

Director of Operations at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Dr. Nicole Manning

In English, the percentage of candidates scoring 50 percent and above rose from 69.25% in 2025 to 73.082% in 2026. Dr. Manning noted a sharp increase in candidates earning full marks, with no candidate scoring zero. “So, there was additional work done and additional steps in relation to what we saw for English… this had increased attention, so this is true scores, just to note,” she said.

In Social Studies, the pass rate moved from 64.77% to 65.28%. While the increase was less pronounced than in English, the number of candidates earning full scores jumped sharply from 53 to 110, with no zero scores recorded.

Performance in Science improved from 63.70% to 65.38% earning 50 percent and above. “Likewise, a sharp increase in the number of candidates receiving full scores for science, moving from 227 to 417 with no candidate receiving a zero,” Dr. Manning said.

Mathematics, saw the year’s largest gain, rising from 55.51% to 59.8% of candidates scoring 50 percent and above. “This speaks volumes not only at this stage but also for what we know we will see in five years’ time,” she explained.

Dr. Manning attributed the gains to interventions implemented by the Ministry of Education. “This gradual improvement, as you’re seeing year on year, is something that you should be happy about, because it is saying to you that whatever the interventions that you’re doing, you are having impact,” she said.

Dr. Manning also spoke to CXC’s role in safeguarding the integrity of the examination. “The Caribbean Examinations Council has a brand, and that brand speaks volumes for us internationally,” she said, noting that multi-layered standardisation measures are applied at every stage, from item writing and pre-testing through to the release of results.

On the marking process specifically, she outlined a three-tiered monitoring and improvement system, alongside post-marking quality checks. A total of 350 markers were engaged this year, with continuous sampling, remarking and retraining built into each level of the process to ensure consistency.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

core subjects, CXC, NGSA 2026, Pass rates

Latest News