Govt. orders schools to keep CSEC SBAs for 2027

…as CXC’s planned overhaul creates confusion over Paper 032

(Kaieteur News) – The Ministry of Education has moved to clarify uncertainty surrounding the future of School-Based Assessments (SBAs), directing all secondary schools to ensure that Grade 11 students sitting the 2027 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations complete all prescribed SBA requirements.

The ministry, in a statement yesterday, stressed that Paper 032 is not authorised as a substitute for SBAs for Guyana’s 2027 CSEC candidates, and warned schools against directing or permitting students to undertake the paper in place of their required SBA work.

The clarification follows an announcement by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) earlier this year that it will overhaul the SBA system in response to growing concerns about the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in completing students’ coursework.

Education Minister, Sonia Parag

CXC had announced that, beginning with CAPE examinations in May-June 2027 and CSEC in 2028, SBAs in a number of largely theory-based subjects would be replaced by Paper 032, an assessment conducted under supervised examination conditions.

At the time, CXC said the move was intended to protect the integrity and credibility of Caribbean qualifications amid difficulties in determining whether SBA submissions represented students’ own work.

However, CXC had also indicated that CSEC candidates would have the option in 2027 of completing either the traditional SBA or Paper 032, before the new system becomes mandatory in 2028.

The education ministry’s latest directive makes clear that, for Guyana, the existing SBA requirements remain in force for the 2027 CSEC cohort.

“All Grade 11 students enrolled in CSEC subjects requiring an SBA are directed to resume or continue their assessment tasks immediately,” the Ministry said, noting that students must meet the prescribed March 2027 submission deadline.

Schools have also been instructed to provide adequate instructional time, guidance and supervision to ensure that students complete and refine their SBA projects.

Headteachers have been tasked with overseeing the immediate resumption of SBA activities across departments and monitoring students’ progress.

The ministry further said education officers will conduct regional visits to schools, examine SBA progress records and engage school administrations to determine whether candidates are on track.

The CXC had said 13 subjects are slated for the discontinuation of traditional SBAs, with changes being introduced on a phased basis.

CXC Director of Operations, Dr. Nicole Manning, had explained that the growing use of GenAI had made it increasingly difficult for the examination body to verify the authenticity of students’ submitted work.

“When GenAI is used to produce an SBA that is submitted as a student’s own original effort, we can no longer be certain whose work we are assessing,” Manning had warned.

Under the proposed Paper 032 system, candidates would receive their assessment topics about one month before the examination and would be permitted to take reference notes into the examination room. The final assessment would then be completed under supervised conditions.

Practical subjects, including Agricultural Science, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, Technical Drawing, Food and Nutrition and Healthcare, are expected to retain SBA components because of the importance of hands-on assessment.

CXC had said its decision followed consultations with educators across the region, with almost 2,400 educators surveyed. According to the Council, 77 per cent supported the CSEC reforms, while 76 per cent backed similar changes at CAPE level.

The ministry has therefore urged schools to ensure that candidates remain on schedule and that all prescribed SBA work is completed and submitted by the March 2027 deadline.

The new arrangement is expected to give Guyanese students another year under the existing SBA system before the wider CXC changes take effect for CSEC in 2028.

Source: Kaieteur News