The Editor, Sir:

This letter is on one hand to encourage and on the other hand to expose the examination we call CSEC.

My godchild took her exams and based on her performance in a particular subject we expected her to get a certain grade. One can imagine the shock of her extra lesson teachers and ourselves when she was greeted with a Grade 3.

Immediately, I requested a regrade, and to our surprise (at the honesty of the regrader) the result came back upgraded. Now can you imagine the many children and parents who are today disappointed because of this CSEC examination results? To make matters worse, the regrade came back without any explanation as to why the markers could be marking the children's exams in such a way as to blight their future. This exam hinges on them getting into a 6th form and many did not get into a 6th form because of these faulty grades.

I have never trusted our CARICOM people with the responsibility of uplifting their own and I prefer and have more confidence in the overseas examinations and feel that we should not get rid of them at all. Make the SAT, GCE and RSAs and the others, a national alternative because CSEC cannot be trusted - this is a personal experience!

Had it been Cambridge they would have offered some explanations. In this case (CSEC) our common markers did not even venture as to say why and how that error could have been made.

I am, etc.,

JM FLETCHER

Irish Town