The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is facing two growing, interconnected challenges that threaten the integrity of regional secondary and post-secondary assessment systems: a significant spike in examination rule violations and record-high candidate absenteeism during the 2026 May-June exam sitting, a top CXC official has confirmed.
Dr. Nicole Manning, CXC Director of Operations, shared updated figures during a results briefing in Anguilla, revealing that the body recorded 128 confirmed cases of examination irregularities this year, a 60% jump from the 80 cases documented in 2025. The most common violation was the use of prohibited electronic devices in exam rooms, followed by coordinated collusion between candidates, possession of unauthorized reference materials, and a new, previously unrecorded category: cheating facilitated by artificial intelligence.
Manning emphasized that AI-enabled academic misconduct is an unprecedented emerging threat to CXC’s assessment standards, a challenge that will only grow as generative AI tools become more accessible to students across the region. In response, CXC has already developed formal standards and guiding frameworks to govern AI use in exams, joining Anguilla which has implemented its own national AI policy for education assessment. “This is a completely new issue for us,” Manning noted. “It is critical that we proactively put guardrails in place just as we have done for other emerging challenges in assessment over the years.”
The CXC official warned that irregularities carry severe penalties for offending candidates, including full grade cancellation and permanent disqualification from future exams. She added that cheating is not limited to isolated, one-off incidents: some repeat offenders have been caught violating rules across multiple separate exam cycles. Broadly defined, examination irregularities include any inappropriate conduct during a sitting, ranging from disruptive, unruly behavior to unauthorized possession of cell phones and pre-prepared cheat sheets.
Alongside rising cheating, CXC has flagged soaring absenteeism as a major concern for regional education systems. Nearly 36,000 registered candidates failed to show up for this year’s Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) assessments. Of that total, 3,534 absentees were registered for CAPE, the post-secondary entrance qualification, while 32,403 missed CSEC, the core secondary school leaving certification.
Manning explained that a candidate who misses any required exam component is ineligible to receive a grade, meaning they forfeit the opportunity to earn the certification they registered for, a setback that can delay academic progression and career plans. She stressed that the alarmingly high absenteeism rate should be a priority issue for education ministries and institutions across the Caribbean, calling on parents, guardians and classroom teachers to step up engagement to encourage candidates to complete their scheduled exams. “This is a top concern for CXC, and we are working aggressively to support candidates to show up for their assessments,” she said.
Internal CXC surveys have identified feelings of under-preparation as the most common reason students voluntarily skip their exams, but Manning urged candidates not to let low confidence keep them from taking the test. She also noted that CXC already has formal compassionate accommodations in place for candidates who are unable to attend or complete exams due to unforeseen personal crises, such as acute medical events or the death of a close family member. This year alone, 359 candidates received flexible accommodations through the program, ensuring they were not penalized for experiencing unexpected hardship. “These candidates did not face disadvantage despite serious personal challenges,” Manning said, “that is the safety net we want all eligible candidates to know is available to them.”