The performance of candidates in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certi-ficate (CSEC) examinations across the region improved in 17 subjects, according to information from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) head offices in Barbados.

A total of 522,492 candidates from across the region took the CSEC examinations this year.

The largest entries were in English language 88,412 and mathematics 86,479.

Over 90 per cent of candidates achieved acceptable Grades one to three in two subjects - electronic document preparation and management and physical education and sport.

Five subjects showed double-digit percentage increases in performance at Grades one to three from last year. Performance in agricultural science (single award) - crops and soils improved from 60 per cent last year to 76 per cent; technical drawing increased from 56 per cent to 72 per cent; human and social biology from 39 per cent to 51 per cent; visual arts from 63 per cent to 76; and typewriting from 58 to 70 per cent.

The sciences

Performance in the Sciences with the exception of physics and integrated science improved. In biology, 72 per cent of candidates achieved Grades one to three compared with 65 per cent in 2005; chemistry increased from 58 per cent to 62 per cent and all three agricultural science options also had improved performance. agricultural science (double award) improved from 82 to 85 per cent; agricultural science (single award) - crops and soils improved from 60 per cent last year to 76 per cent this year and agricultural science (single award) - animal science increased from 72 per cent in 2005 to 84 per cent this year.

According to CXC, both foreign languages also registered improved performance over last year. Seventy-three per cent of the candidates who took Spanish achieved Grades one to three, compared with 65 per cent last year, while for French the percentage increased from 73 per cent in 2005 to 78 per cent this year.

Roughly the same

Performance in English language and mathematics remained roughly the same with 51 per cent and 35 per cent achieving Grades one to three respectively.

Three new subjects also had relatively large entries. Human and social biology increased to 17,027 from 8,243 last year; electronic document preparation and management increased from 1,991 to 4,182 this year and physical education and sports jumped from 552 to 1,163 this year.

Thirty-three subjects were examined in CSEC this year; 20 at General Proficiency only, nine at Basic and General Proficiencies, three at Technical Proficiency only, and one subject at General and Technical Proficiencies.