19 schools apply to write CAPE

The Ministry of Education has received entries from an initial batch of 19 secondary schools for students to write the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examina-tion (CAPE), later this year.

The students will write this regional examination in a range of 27 subjects. All secondary schools with sixth form classes have been provided with a copy of the syllabus in the CAPE subject areas, including Caribbean Studies, Communication Studies, Mathematics, Economics, Geography, and Environmental Science. Schools have also been provided with a requisition lists for the syllabus in the 27 subjects in the CAPE examination, as syllabus and past question papers are available at some bookstores.

CAPE is being introduced on a phased basis, and will replace the Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level examination by 2005. It will enable more persons to access tertiary education through academic, technical and vocational courses to study within a single system of certification.

CAPE is intended for persons who require certification to regional and international universities, as well as at other tertiary institutions; mature and part-time students who desire to further their education or acquire marketable skills; and persons seeking to benefit from opportunities for continuing education and personal development. The CAPE syllabuses are structured as 1-Unit and 2-Unit courses.

A 1-Unit course consists of three modules totalling 150 credit hours that include contact time, as well as time spent on projects and other assignments. The Unit is based on content, knowledge and skills drawn from specific subject areas. A 2-Unit course consists of two 1-Unit courses designed to cover a well-defined subject area. This Unit contains the core content of the A’ Level and additional content considered to be relevant to the needs of the region in a global environment. Each unit is separately examined and certified, and the units are clustered into groupings such as Arts, Modern Languages, Science and Business Studies.

1-Unit courses include Caribbean Studies, Communication Studies, Statistical Analysis, Information Technology, Functional Spanish, Functional French, Electrical and Technology, Geometrical and Mechanical Engineering Drawing, Home Economics and Management, and Applied Mathematics. 2-Unit courses include Accounting, Art and Design, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Environmental Science, French, Spanish, Geography, History, Law, Literature in English, Management of Business, Mathematics, Physics, and Sociology.