The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has issued a public warning over a worrying trend of widespread candidate absenteeism during the 2026 May-June examination cycle, with official data confirming more than 35,000 registered candidates failed to show up for their scheduled assessments. The alarming figures were publicly released during an official results presentation held in Anguilla, prompting urgent concern from senior regional education officials.
Breaking down the absenteeism data, the council reported that 3,534 candidates registered for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) – the region’s advanced post-secondary entrance assessment – did not attend their tests. Absenteeism rates were nearly 10 times higher for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), the core secondary school leaving examination, where 32,403 registered candidates were marked absent.
Nicole Manning, CXC’s Director of Operations, highlighted the gravity of the issue during the official results unveiling. “This is a big concern of the Caribbean Examinations Council and continues to be a concern for us,” Manning stated, noting that candidates who skip their exams automatically forfeit the opportunity to earn a final qualifying grade, a critical credential for further education and employment across the Caribbean.
Internal surveys conducted by the CXC have identified the primary driver of this trend: most absent candidates made a deliberate choice to skip exams due to feelings of insufficient preparation for the assessments. Manning pushed back against this decision, urging all future registered candidates to attend their scheduled exams and attempt all questions regardless of their perceived level of readiness.
Widespread absenteeism is not the only challenge the regional examination body is facing this cycle. The CXC also noted a sharp uptick in candidate misconduct and examination irregularities, with 128 confirmed cases of rule-breaking recorded in 2026, a significant jump from 80 documented incidents in the previous year’s examination cycle. The dual challenges of growing absenteeism and rising misconduct have put new pressure on the CXC to address systemic issues impacting regional secondary and post-secondary assessments.