The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has announced its most significant overhaul of School-Based Assessments (SBAs) in years, introducing sweeping reforms aimed at protecting the credibility of regional examinations in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The changes, which take effect from the 2026–2027 academic year, will transform how coursework and alternative assessments are conducted across the Caribbean. The reforms were unveiled during a virtual stakeholder engagement session attended by principals, teachers and education professionals throughout the region.
CXC says the overhaul comes after growing concerns that AI-generated content and plagiarism are undermining confidence in whether SBAs genuinely reflect students’ knowledge and abilities.
Rather than banning AI, the examination body is taking a different approach by redesigning assessments to measure critical thinking, problem-solving and the practical application of knowledge instead of simple content production.
Under the new framework, CSEC and CAPE subjects will be divided into three categories. Subjects with existing practical or traditional assessment structures will continue with their current SBA format, while practical science subjects such as Biology, Chemistry and Physics will require mandatory SBAs for all candidates, including private candidates, by the May/June 2028 examinations.
For non-practical subjects that are more vulnerable to AI-generated work, students will transition to a newly reformed Paper 32, which will replace traditional SBAs in many cases.
Beginning with the May/June 2027 CSEC examinations, schools will have the option of submitting traditional SBAs or having students complete the new Paper 32 assessment. CAPE candidates in non-practical subjects will all sit the reformed Paper 32 from 2027.
To better reflect real-world learning, CXC will release research topics one month before examinations, allowing students to prepare in advance and use approved reference notes during the assessment. The examination itself will focus on analysing information, solving problems and applying knowledge to unseen scenarios.
CXC officials stressed that success will no longer depend on memorising information or relying on AI-generated responses, but on demonstrating the ability to think critically and use information effectively under examination conditions.
The Council also announced tougher safeguards to protect the integrity of its examinations. Schools can expect increased moderation, expanded field audits, random visits and greater scrutiny of assessment centres, with officials conducting interviews with students, teachers and principals where necessary.
To support the transition, CXC will publish comprehensive subject-specific guidance and host additional stakeholder webinars throughout August and September to help schools, teachers, parents and students prepare for the new assessment model.
