Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

The overall performance of candidates writing the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) across the region has improved in 2007, according to the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).

In 19 of the 44 units examined, over 90 per cent of the unit entries achieved grades one to five, which are the acceptable grades at this level.

The biggest improvement was in the natural sciences. For chemistry unit one and two, 91 per cent and 98 per cent of candidates respectively achieved grades one to five, compared with 63 per cent and 54 per cent respectively in 2006.

Biology, Physics results

The results were similar for biology and physics.

For biology Unit one and two, 91 per cent and 97 per cent respectively achieved grades one to five, compared with 91 per cent and 90 per cent respectively last year.

For physics unit one, 90 per cent and Unit two, 96 per cent achieved grades one to five, while in 2006, 85 per cent achieved acceptable grades in unit one and 86 per cent in unit two.

Improved performance was also seen in sociology, food and nutrition, history, management of business, law and geometrical and mechanical engineering drawing.

All the candidates who took art and design units one and two achieved acceptable grades.

Both the number of candidate entries and unit entries increased again this year. Unit entries increased from 69,018 in 2006 to 81, 852 entries this year.

Candidate entries increased from 19,019 in 2006 to 21,489 this year.

Caribbean studies continues to be the unit with the largest number of entries - 10,768, followed by communication studies (8,759), pure mathematics unit one (5,022), management of business unit 1 (4,657) and sociology unit one (3,906).

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com