CXC to replace take-home SBAs in several subjects amid AI concerns

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados--The Caribbean Examinations Council is preparing to replace traditional take-home School-Based Assessments in several non-practical subjects with a supervised written assessment, as concerns grow over the use of artificial intelligence and other forms of academic dishonesty.

The reform will affect subjects such as mathematics, English, Caribbean history, social studies, principles of business and information technology. Instead of completing an SBA over several weeks or months, students will be required to sit Paper 032 under supervised examination conditions.

CXC Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Wayne Wesley said the regional examining body is not attempting to resist technological development, but must protect the credibility of the qualifications awarded to Caribbean students.

“CXC will always act in the best interest of the region, even when that requires difficult decisions,” Wesley said.

“The SBA has served Caribbean students well for nearly half a century, and we do not reform it lightly. But the integrity of our qualifications is not negotiable. When the system that was designed to assess a student’s work can no longer reliably do so, we have an obligation to act, and to act decisively. That is precisely what this reformed framework represents.”

The changes reportedly follow consultations across 21 Caribbean countries and territories and are intended to ensure that examination results continue to reflect the work and ability of the individual student.

What the Change Means in Simple Terms

In practical terms, students will no longer be allowed to complete SBAs at home for several academic subjects and submit them through their schools.

Instead, they will prepare for an assessment and then complete the work in an examination room under the supervision of an invigilator.

This is similar to how students currently sit regular CXC examination papers. The main difference is that Paper 032 is designed to test many of the research, analysis and application skills previously assessed through the SBA.

The purpose is to make it more difficult for students to submit work completed by another person or generated largely through an artificial intelligence tool.

Students will not necessarily be expected to memorize an entire research project. Under the proposed system, they will receive the topic approximately one month before the examination, giving them time to conduct research and prepare. They will also be allowed to carry prepared reference notes into the examination room.

Additional time is expected to be provided for the paper, with the assessment focusing on whether students can understand information, organize ideas, analyse material and apply what they have learned.

In simple terms, students can research and prepare beforehand, but they will have to produce the final work themselves while being supervised.

Practical Subjects Will Keep SBAs

The removal of traditional SBAs will not apply to every subject.

CXC will retain SBAs for subjects in which students must physically demonstrate practical, technical or creative skills. These include agricultural science, visual arts, music, physical education, technical drawing, and food, nutrition and health.

CXC is expected to strengthen the checking and moderation of those assessments to reduce opportunities for dishonesty.

The distinction means that a student completing artwork, agricultural fieldwork, a technical drawing or a practical food assignment may still require an SBA because those abilities cannot be properly measured through a written examination alone.

CAPE Changes Begin in 2027

The transition will take place in stages.

CAPE candidates are expected to move fully to the Paper 032 system for affected subjects during the May-June 2027 examination period.

For CSEC students, schools will reportedly have a choice during 2027 between using the traditional SBA and the new Paper 032 assessment. By the May-June 2028 examination period, Paper 032 is expected to become mandatory for CSEC candidates in the affected non-practical subjects.

Existing SBA scores will remain transferable under CXC’s established two-year rule. Paper 032 scores will also become transferable from 2027, according to the report.

CXC Director of Operations Dr. Nicole Manning said maintaining confidence in the regional qualification is important to students, families, employers and universities.

“A CXC qualification means something. It means something to employers, to universities, to parents, families and guardians, who have invested years of commitment and sacrifice into a child’s education. It is in our collective interest that we hold to this standard, which we have all worked so hard to build,” Manning said.

The reform will require schools to adjust how they teach research and project-based skills in non-practical subjects. Teachers will still need to guide students through research, source evaluation, writing and analysis, but the student’s final graded response will be produced in a controlled environment.

For parents and students, the central point is that coursework is not disappearing completely. The method of assessing that coursework is changing to ensure that the grade belongs to the student who receives it.

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