During the 2023 exam period, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) encountered multiple irregularities, with the use of cell phones and smartwatches being a significant concern.

Dr. Nicole Manning, the Council’s Director of Operations, revealed these issues during a press conference on Thursday to announce the official release of the 2023 CXC exam results.

Manning disclosed that there was a total of 19 irregularities detected in the CSEC exams, while the CAPE exams registered 17 irregularities.

According to Manning, there were five CSEC students caught with cellular phones, five plagiarized content, four displayed disruptive behavior, three used unauthorized material, and one case of territorial malpractice.

In the CAPE exams, four students were caught with cellular phones, eight were caught cheating, four had unauthorized material, and one even tried to impersonate another student. Manning stated that although the numbers are small, there is still cause for concern.

Manning expressed concern about the use of cellular phones by candidates during exams, stating that it is something that they would not want to see again this year.

She further noted that the Council will review its regulations in response to the emergence of new devices such as smartwatches.

Manning also disclosed that all irregularities carry a penalty, and if a candidate repeatedly carries out the behavior, they can lose everything.

The CXC is committed to addressing these concerns to ensure a level playing field for all exam takers.

Although the numbers are lower for CAPE than CSEC, Manning emphasized that it speaks more about the maturity of the candidates they are engaging at CAPE.

The Council is doing a full review of its regulations to ensure that all these devices are noted and will share the information with its stakeholders.