CSEC stands for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate. It is delivered based on the results of the examinations that assess the students’ academic achievements after secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Today, we’ll go over some facts about obtaining such a certificate as well as a variety of subjects.

A general overview

The Caribbean Examinations Council is an examination board in the Caribbean. CXC was created in 1972. Now it conducts examinations and diplomas based on their results. One of the exams is the CSEC. It’s equivalent to the Ordinary Level examinations.

Students may take examinations in January if they are re-sit and private candidates or in May/June if they are in-school and private candidates.

They have a six-point grading system to evaluate the candidates’ performance. The overall grades are marked in Roman numbers while profile grades get A-F scores.

CSEC has three proficiency schemes: Basic, General, and Technical. The basic one secures the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes associated with completing a secondary course. Both General and Technical schemes deliver the foundation for further studies and entry to the workplace.

Who may write CSEC?

Three main groups of students can take the exam:

  • Private candidates have to be over 16 to be eligible to write CSEC.
  • Anyone over 10 at private institutions can write the exam.
  • Form Five students at Public Secondary School are eligible to write it.

How many subjects are there?

According to the official website, the Council offers 33 subjects. There are 28 subjects at General Proficiency and 5 at Technical Proficiency. They cover everything from mathematics and biology to English and geography. Students may also write business studies, food & nutrition, information technology, and other subjects.

Though, the examination offers three proficiency skills: basic, general, and technical. As a rule, the institutions admitting CSEC require passes in four-five subjects. However, the recent changes have shown that there has been a double, sometimes triple increase in the CXC subjects that students write.

CSEC recognition

The certificate is recognized by the University of the West Indies, the University of Guyana, the University of Technology, and some overseas boards. The latter include Joint Matriculation Board, UK, Cambridge University Examinations Syndicate, and the American Association of College Registrars and Admission Officers. What’s more, the certificate is recognized by the Association of Indian Universities.

Useful tips

First of all, if you are interested in writing the exam, you should register for it. The registration procedure differs based on the candidates’ schools. Some schools register all their students at once, while private candidates need to send the registration form on their own.

What’s more, you need to find out if you are required to pay the fees. In-school candidates don’t pay anything. Private candidates, on the other hand, have to pay the fees at the Ministry of Education Cashier’s Unit.

From 2020, the candidates will also be able to get the e-cert. Students who wrote examinations earlier will be able to apply for the e-cert as soon as the system goes online. Online registration, e-testing, and electronic certificates prove the CXC manages to keep up with the times.