CAPE Success, CSEC gains highlight local CXC results

Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw. (FP) Barbados achieved a 93.8 per cent overall pass rate in the 2026 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), with 4 710 passing results out of 5 022 subject sittings. Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw revealed these results during the announcement of the nation’s top Scholarship and Exhibition winners at the Ministry of Education Transformation. ​The Chief Education Officer presented a detailed overview of the island’s performance across regional assessment levels. For CAPE in 2026, 5 196 candidates registered, up from 4 999 in 2025. Of these, 5 022 completed the exams, with 55.4 per cent being female and 44.6 per cent male. ​”The achievements of our scholarship and exhibition recipients become even more significant when viewed against the wider performance of Barbados in the 2026 CAPE examinations,” Archer-Bradshaw said. ​The national pass rate for CAPE Unit 1 was 93.1 per cent, while Unit 2 had a 95.1 per cent pass rate. Female students had a 94.3 per cent pass rate, while male students had 93.2 per cent. Dr Archer-Bradshaw reported that 17 subjects in Unit 1 achieved a 100% pass rate, including French, History, Literatures in English, Information Technology, Green Engineering, Animation and Gaming Design, and Building and Mechanical Engineering Drawing. In Unit 2, subjects like Art and Design, Food and Nutrition, Geography, Sociology, and Spanish also achieved perfect pass rates. Another 23 subjects across both units recorded pass rates between 90 per cent and 99 per cent. ​ Archer-Bradshaw commended the exceptional academic effort required to achieve national honours. You Might Be Interested In ​”Today is one of those occasions that reminds us why education remains one of the greatest investments that any nation can make,” she stated. “At this moment, Barbados honors a remarkable group of young people whose performance in the 2026 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination, the Barbados Community College’s Associate Degree programme, and in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate has earned them the nation’s highest academic awards,” she said. ​”To every awardee gathered here today, congratulations to you. Your accomplishments did not happen by chance. Behind every grade one, every exceptional GPA, and every scholarship qualification lies a story that very few people see. It is a story of very early mornings and very late nights, of balancing internal assessments with examinations, of choosing commitment over convenience… Today your names are being called because your hard work spoke louder than your obstacles.” Archer-Bradshaw also extended praise to those who persevered despite missing top honours, stating, “Additionally, I acknowledge those students who did not receive grade ones but whose dedication and perseverance were no less. Your performance in the exam was your best performance to date. You put your best foot forward and achieved what you thought was not possible. We are proud of you too.” ​For the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), 22 967 candidates registered from 42 exam centres, including 21 public secondary schools and 20 private institutions. Of these, 21 047 completed the exams. The national pass rate for grades one to three was 69.9 per cent, just below the regional average of 72.18 per cent. Male students had a 70.9 per cent pass rate, slightly higher than the 69.2 per cent for female students. ​In core subjects, Barbadian students outperformed regional averages. The national CSEC Mathematics pass rate rose to 47 per cent, standing five per cent above the regional benchmark of 42.15 per cent. “There has been a steady increase in the pass rate in mathematics in Barbados over the past three years, and we are above the Caribbean pass rate,” Archer-Bradshaw reported. CSEC English A results registered an 82 per cent pass rate, exceeding the regional average of 80% and demonstrating improvement over 2025 when the pass rate stood lower. English B pass rates reached 60 per cent, representing a 1.2 per cent increase from the previous year. She highlighted notable institutional turnarounds in foundational subjects across several public secondary schools. “I want to use this opportunity to congratulate those schools that have seen improvement in their pass rates from 2025 to 2026 in mathematics and English,” she remarked. ​St George Secondary School recorded a remarkable 61.8 per cent increase in its Mathematics pass rate compared to 2025. Significant Mathematics gains were also reported at Coleridge and Parris School (up 23.6 per cent), Parkinson Memorial Secondary School (up 22.8 per cent), The Alexandra School (up 13.1%), and Christ Church Foundation School (up 10.7 per cent). In English, Darryl Jordan Secondary School delivered a standout performance, increasing its pass rate by 48.7 per cent. “There was one very outstanding school when it came to the increasing pass rate, and that school is the Darryl Jordan Secondary School,” she praised. ​The Chief Education Officer also detailed results from the inaugural pilot of the Caribbean Targeted Examination Certificate (CSEC Modular Approach). “For the first time in 2026, the Caribbean Examinations Council offered a modular approach to attaining certification, and this commenced with the offering of Module One for CSEC mathematics,” she explained. In this pilot phase, 589 students from six secondary schools registered, with 493 completing the assessment. A total of 358 candidates passed, translating to an overall pass rate of 72.6 per cent, with female students achieving 76.6 per cent compared to 68 per cent for males. “We definitely look forward to improved outcomes for the next academic year,” she added. Archer-Bradshaw recognised the combined efforts of teachers, administrators and families in helping students succeed throughout the education system. ​”We understand that no student arrives at this moment alone,” she said. “We thank our teachers for believing in the potential of our students and for the countless hours that they spent preparing lessons, marking assignments, conducting practical exercises, and encouraging young people to believe that excellence is attainable. To our principals and school leaders, thank you for creating learning environments where high expectations are supported by strong leadership and effective school cultures.” ​Expressing gratitude to families and ministry officials, she concluded: “To our parents and guardians today, this is also your celebration. Your encouragement during moments of uncertainty, your sacrifices to provide educational opportunities, your reminders to remain focused, and your unwavering support have helped to shape the young people we honour today. To the wider ministry team and ministry family, we thank you for your continued work in strengthening educational opportunities as we continue to transform our education system so that every student can realise his or her potential.” (RR)