THE Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has moved to clarify the meaning of the new Caribbean Targeted Education Certificate (CTEC) module grades following confusion among students, parents and teachers over the appearance of additional grades alongside 2026 CSEC results.
The clarification is particularly relevant to candidates who received their CSEC Mathematics results this year and noticed a CTEC module grade, such as A or B, alongside their overall subject grade.
CXC Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Dr Wayne Wesley stressed that the introduction of modular assessment does not lower academic standards and does not change the official CSEC qualification awarded to candidates.
Under the new approach, students can have their achievement recognised in specific areas of a subject while still being assessed against the same syllabuses, learning objectives and assessment specifications that underpin the traditional CSEC examinations.
CXC said the questions used in the modular assessments are drawn from the same assessment framework as those encountered in the full CSEC examination, requiring candidates to demonstrate the same knowledge, skills, competencies and understanding.
The examinations are also subject to the same quality assurance systems, examiner moderation, psychometric analysis and grading procedures used to safeguard the integrity of CXC qualifications.
The key difference, according to CXC, is that students can demonstrate their achievement in manageable stages rather than through a single high-stakes examination session.
OVERALL CSEC GRADE REMAINS
For students and parents concerned about the relationship between the new module grades and the traditional CSEC results, CXC has made clear that the overall CSEC subject grade remains the official qualification.
A candidate who receives Grade I in CSEC Mathematics, for example, retains that Grade I as the final qualification for the subject. A CTEC module grade does not replace, reduce or alter the overall CSEC result.
Instead, the module grade provides additional information about a candidate’s performance in a specific area of the syllabus.
CXC explained that the distinction is important because CSEC results have traditionally included profile grades measuring performance in Knowledge, Comprehension and Reasoning. While those profiles provide insight into how students process and apply information, they do not necessarily identify the specific areas of a subject in which a student has demonstrated competence.
The CTEC modular system is intended to provide that additional detail.
THREE MATHEMATICS MODULES
Under the new framework, the CSEC Mathematics syllabus is divided into three modules.
Module 1 — Fundamentals of Secondary Level Mathematics covers foundational areas including Number Theory and Computation, Consumer Arithmetic, Sets, Measurement, Algebra 1 and Introduction to Graphs.
Module 2 — Intermediate Secondary Level Mathematics includes Statistics 1, Algebra 2, Relations, Functions and Graphs 1, Geometry and Trigonometry 1, and Vectors and Matrices 1.
Module 3 — Higher Concepts in Secondary Level Mathematics covers Statistics 2, Relations, Functions and Graphs 2, Geometry and Trigonometry 2, and Vectors and Matrices 2.
Together, the three modules cover the complete Mathematics syllabus.
This means a student could receive an overall Grade I in CSEC Mathematics while also receiving, for example, a Grade B for Module 1. The two grades measure different aspects of the candidate’s achievement and are not contradictory.
WHAT THE MODULE GRADES MEAN
CTEC uses an A-to-F grading scale to report performance in individual modules.
Grades A, B, C and D represent acceptable levels of achievement, while E and F indicate that additional development is required before the expected standard has been attained.
The grades are described as follows:
• A — Excellent: The candidate demonstrates an excellent grasp of the key concepts, knowledge, skills and competencies required by the module.
• B — Good: The candidate demonstrates a good grasp of the required concepts, knowledge, skills and competencies.
• C — Fairly Good: The candidate demonstrates a fairly good grasp of the required areas.
• D — Moderate: The candidate demonstrates a moderate grasp of the required areas.
• E — Limited: The candidate demonstrates a limited grasp of the required areas.
• F — Very Limited: The candidate demonstrates a very limited grasp of the required areas.
CXC said the A-to-F system is not entirely unfamiliar to Caribbean educators and other stakeholders, noting that modular performance is already reported in subjects such as CAPE.
More Detailed Information for Employers and Tertiary Institutions
Beyond helping students and parents understand academic performance, CXC said the CTEC framework is intended to provide employers with clearer information about the competencies possessed by job applicants.
The modular and stackable credential is designed as a micro-credential framework through which specific competencies can be recognised, while allowing learners to build towards broader certification.
CXC is working with stakeholders across the Caribbean to promote understanding and recognition of CTEC credentials, particularly as evidence of workforce-relevant knowledge and skills.
For employers, the system could provide more detailed information than an overall subject grade alone, allowing them to identify specific areas in which an applicant has demonstrated competence.
For students, meanwhile, the modular system could provide a clearer picture of strengths and areas requiring further development.
STANDARDS REMAIN UNCHANGED
CXC has rejected concerns that the modular system represents a reduction in academic standards.
According to Wesley, CTEC changes the way learning is assessed and accumulated, but not what students are expected to know, understand and demonstrate.
The assessments remain tied to the established CSEC syllabuses and learning objectives, with the same quality assurance and grading processes applied.
The council said the objective is to make student achievement more visible and provide greater flexibility in how learners progress towards certification without compromising the standard of the qualification.
As Caribbean students, parents and schools begin adjusting to the new reporting system, CXC’s clarification is intended to ensure that module grades are understood as additional measures of achievement rather than replacements for the established CSEC subject grades.