SYNOPSES FOR CAPE® May-June Sitting 2017
ACCOUNTING
In Unit 1, 85 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable Grades, I – V, in 2017 compared with 87 per cent in 2016 and 96 per cent in 2015. There was a marginal improved performance at Grades I – V for Module 1 and a decline on Module 2, while performance on Module 3 remained consistent with that of 2016.

In Unit 2, 84 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable Grades, I – V, in 2017 compared with 86 per cent in 2016 and 91 per cent in 2015. Performance at Grades I – V was lower on Modules 1 and 2 in 2017 compared with 2016, while there an improved performance on Module 3, Planning and Decision Making.

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
In Unit 1, 84 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, compared with 91 per cent in 2016. This Unit tested the fundamentals of agriculture and crop production. The most challenging questions for the candidates were those which tested transplantation and chemical usage impact.

In Unit 2, 86 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, compared with 94 per cent in 2016. The most challenging questions for the candidates were those which tested the concepts related to integrated aquaculture systems and oestrus synchronization.

ANIMATION AND GAME DESIGN
This is a new subject with first administration in 2017. There were 102 candidates in 19 centres from three territories registered for the examination.

Ninety-two candidates wrote the Unit 1 examination. Ninety-five per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V. Candidates performed best on Module 3, Story and Character Development, while Module 2, Drawing and Layout, proved the most challenging. Twelve per cent of the candidates achieved Grade I.

Two candidates from Guyana r wrote the Unit 2 examination. One candidate achieved Grade II while the other candidate achieved Grade III. Candidates performed best on Module 1, Introduction to Interactive Design, while Module 3, Animation for Games, proved the most challenging.

The performance of candidates in the School-Based Assessment component was satisfactory and some of the projects submitted in both Units were very creative.

APPLIED MATHEMATICS
In Unit 1, candidate performance improved with 94 per cent of the candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I – V, in 2017 compared with 91 per cent in 2016. In Unit 2, 88 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, compared with 90 per cent in 2016.

This year the performance of candidates on all three modules in Unit 1 improved over 2016. However, there was a decline in performance on all three modules of Unit 2 compared with 2016.

For both Units, the performance on the School-Based Assessment component of the examination improved compared with 2016.

ART AND DESIGN
In Unit 1, 99 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, in 2017, compared with 100 per cent in 2016. Candidates performed best on Module 2, Two-Dimensional Art and Design but Module 1, Cultural Studies, continues to prove the most challenging. In Unit 2, 99.6 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I – V in both 2016 and 2017. This year, candidates performed best on Module 3, Creative Projects. However, there was a decline in the performance of candidates on Module 1, Design and Module 2, Applied Arts.

BIOLOGY
In Unit 1, 92 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, in 2017 compared with 79 per cent in 2016. Candidates performed well on the questions requiring an understanding of cell structure and laboratory tests for reducing sugars and starch. However, candidates had difficulties applying knowledge of concepts to new situations, for example in identifying the role of DNA and RNA in protein synthesis.

In Unit 2, 95 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I – V in 2017 compared with 94 per cent in 2016. Candidates performed well on the questions requiring them to discuss aspects of substance abuse, specifically alcohol consumption, and in identifying risk factors associated with Type 2 diabetes. However, candidates exhibited difficulties in dealing with issues of nervous coordination and hormonal action.

BUILDING AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DRAWING
Option A
In Unit 1, 95 per cent of candidates who wrote the examination in 2017 achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, was good with 97 per cent of candidates earning acceptable Grades I – V. Performance on Paper 02, the Structured Paper, improved compared with 2016. Candidate performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, was good with 95 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades. In terms of performance on modules, performance on all modules, Module 1, Geometry 1; Module 2, Geometry 2 and Module 3, Engineering Drawing, was good.

Ninety-three per cent of candidates who wrote the Unit 2 examination achieved acceptable grades. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, was good with 96 per cent of candidates earning acceptable Grades I – V while performance on Paper 02, the Structured Paper, was weak. Candidate performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, was good. In terms of performance on modules, candidate performance on all modules, Module 1, Mechanics of Machines; Module 2, Engineering Materials and Process and Module 3, Engineering Design Elements, was good.

Option B
In Unit 1, 90 per cent of candidates who wrote the examination achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, was good with 97 per cent of candidates achieving Grades I – V. Performance on Paper 02, the Structured Paper, continues to be weak, while performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, was good. In terms of performance on modules, performance on Module 1, Geometry 1; Module 2, Geometry 2 and Module 3, Building Drawing was satisfactory.

In Unit 2, 91 per cent of the candidates who wrote the examination achieved acceptable grades. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, was good with 97 per cent of candidates earning acceptable grades while performance on Paper 02, the Structured Paper, continues to be weak. Candidate performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, was good. In terms of performance on modules, performance on Module 1, Structural Drawings, Module 2, Building Materials and Processes and Module 3, Management and Design was fair.

CARIBBEAN STUDIES
Overall, there was an improved performance in 2017 when compared with 2016. The percentage of candidates who achieved Grades I – V increased from 95 per cent in 2016 to 98 per cent in 2017. This increase was evident across all three modules. The percentage of candidates who achieved Grades A – C on Module 1, Caribbean Society and Culture, increased from 56 per cent in 2016 to 59 per cent in 2017. On Module 2, Issues in Caribbean Development, 78 per cent achieved Grades A-C in 2017 compared with 56 per cent in 2016 and on Module 3, Researching Issues in the Caribbean, from 68 per cent in 2016 to 71 per cent in 2017.

CHEMISTRY
In 2017, 91 per cent of the candidates who wrote Unit 1 achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, an improvement in the performance compared with 2016 when 80 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades. Twenty per cent of the candidates earned Grade I compared with 18 per cent in 2016. Ninety-six per cent of the candidates who wrote Unit 2 achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, compared with 86 per cent in 2016. Thirty-five per cent achieved Grade I compared with 12 per cent in 2016.

Despite the overall improvement in candidate performance, the weaknesses highlighted in previous reports have persisted. Many candidates demonstrated a lack of facility with the appropriate technical language in their responses to questions, thus revealing a weak grasp of concepts and principles. Candidates and teachers are urged to use the School-Based Assessment and laboratory exercises as a teaching tool - to reinforce, illustrate or clarify theoretical concepts.

COMMUNICATION STUDIES
Overall, the performance on the 2017 examination was consistent with 2016 as approximately 98 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I – V in both years. However, the performance on the Modules varied. While there was an increase in the percentage of candidates achieving Grades A–C on Module 1, Gathering and Processing Information and Module 2, Language and Community, that on Module 3, Speaking and Writing, remained consistent with 2016. The percentage of candidates achieving Grades A–C on Module 1 increased from 39 to 79 per cent, that on Module 2 from 69 to 71 per cent and that on Module 3 remained consistent at 83 per cent.

COMPUTER SCIENCE
The overall performance of candidates on Unit 1 declined slightly compared with 2016 with 90 per cent of the candidates in 2017 achieving Grades I-V, compared with 91 per cent in 2016.

The performance of candidates improved on Module 2, Problem Solving with Computers, but there was a slight decline on Module 1, Computer Architecture and Organization, and Module 3, Programming, compared with June 2016.

The overall performance of candidates on Unit 2 declined slightly compared with 2016 with 92 per cent of the candidates achieving Grades I – V, compared with 95 per cent in 2016.
This decline in performance was evident across all three Modules and Papers.

DIGITAL MEDIA
In Unit 1, 99 per cent of candidates achieved Grades I – V compared with 98 per cent in 2016. Candidates continue to perform best on Module 3, Creative Solution Design, while Module 2, Digital Media Ecosystem, proved the most challenging. Twenty-one per cent of the candidates achieved Grade I which is an improvement compared with 2016 (19 per cent) and slightly below that of 2015 (23 per cent).

In Unit 2, 98 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I – V compared with 99 per cent in 2016. Candidates continue to perform best on Module 1, Visual and Interactive Design, while Module 3, Web and Digital Publishing, proved the most challenging. Thirty-two per cent of the candidates achieved Grade I which is slightly below that of 2016 (33 per cent) and an improvement compared with 2015 (25 per cent).

The projects reflected an improvement in the variety of goods and services that can be used for entrepreneurial purposes. It was notable that many students were innovative and used brainstorming and other project management techniques to carefully select which project to execute in their School-Based Assessment.

ECONOMICS
In Unit 1, the candidate performance remained consistent with 73 per cent of the candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grade I – V. Five per cent of the candidates achieved Grade I which was consistent with that of 2016 and slightly below that of 2015 (6 per cent).

In Unit 2, there was an improved candidate performance with approximately 92 per cent of the candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I – V in 2017 compared with 82 per cent in 2016.
Seventeen per cent of the candidates achieved Grade I which is an increase over 2016 (5 per cent) and 2015 (6 per cent).

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
In Unit 1, 90 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V in 2017. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, was good with 95 per cent of candidates earning Grades I – V. However, performance on Paper 02, the Structured Paper, was weak. Candidate performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, was good. In terms of performance on modules, performance on Module 1, Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Practices; Module 2, Electrical and Electronic Related Studies and Module 3, Introduction to Circuit Technology and Devices was fair.

Option A
In Unit 2, 90 per cent of the candidates who wrote the examination in 2017 achieved acceptable grades. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, was good with 96 per cent of candidates achieving Grades I – V but performance on Paper 02, the Structured Paper, was weak. Candidate performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, was good. In terms of performance on modules, performance on Module 1, Communication Engineering, Module 2, Analogue and Digital Electronics and Module 3, Control Systems was satisfactory.

Option B
In Unit 2, 97 per cent of the candidates who wrote the examination in 2017 achieved acceptable grades. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, was good with 98 per cent of candidates achieving Grades I–V, while the performance on Paper 02, the Structured Paper, was weak. Candidate performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, was good. In terms of performance on modules, performance on Module 1, Power Machines and Systems, Module 2, Introduction to Renewable Energy Systems and Module 3, Power generation Engineering was moderate.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
This is the third year of the examination for the Entrepreneurship syllabus.

In Unit 1 there was consistency in performance as 97 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades, I – V, in both 2016 and 2017. Performance improved on Module 3, Creativity and Innovation, while remaining consistent for Module 1, the Entrepreneurial Mindset, and Module 2, the Entrepreneurial Process.

In Unit 2, 98 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, in 2017 compared with almost 100 per cent in 2016. There was also an overall decline in performance on all three Modules in 2017 in comparison with 2016: Module 1, Essentials of Business Ownership; Module 2, New Venture Planning and Creation and Module 3, Managing and Growing the Venture.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
In Unit 1, 95 per cent of candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, in 2017 compared with 98 per cent in 2016 and 89 per cent in 2015. Candidates performed better on Module 2, Human Population and the Environment, and Module 3, Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, than on Module 1, Fundamental Ecological Principles.

In Unit 2, 97 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V, compared with 98 per cent in 2016 and 94 per cent in 2015. Candidates performed best on Module 1, Agriculture and the Environment, followed by Module 2, Energy and the Environment and Module 3, Pollution and the Environment

The overall quality of the School-Based Assessment continues to show improvement.

FINANCIAL SERVICES STUDIES
In Unit 1, 72 candidates wrote the first examination of the CAPE® Financial Services. Of these, 71 per cent achieved Grades I – V although no candidate achieved Grade I. Candidates performed best on Paper 031, the School-Based Assessment, followed by Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, then Paper 02, the Essay. With respect to module performance, the best performance was recorded on Module 2, Portfolio Management and Investment, followed by Module 3, Governance, Regulations and Ethics, then Module 1, Introduction to Financial Products and Services.

It is believed that time and availability of resources may have affected candidate performance. To this end, it is suggested that teachers form online professional groups and explore the content and vast information relating to the subject.

FOOD AND NUTRITION
In Unit 1, the overall performance in 2017 was very good. Ninety-four per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–V in 2017 compared with 97 per cent in 2016 and 98 per cent in 2015. Candidates performed best on Module 2, Food Selection and Planning followed by Module 1, Principles of Nutrition and Health and Module 3, Food Preparation and Service: Principles and Methods.

In Unit 2, overall performance in 2017 was very good. Ninety-eight per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I – V compared with 96 per cent in 2016 and 99 per cent in 2015. Candidates performed best on Module 1, Caribbean Food Ways and Systems followed by Module 3, Food Preparation, Service and Management and Module 2 Food Science and Technology.

Candidates continue to perform satisfactorily in all aspects of the School-Based Assessment.

FRENCH
In 2017, the performance in the Unit 1 examination was consistent with 2016 with the 97 per cent of the candidates achieving Grades I-V in both years. However, there was a decline in the performance on Paper 01, the Listening Comprehension, Paper 02, the Reading and Writing Comprehension and Paper 03, the Literary Analysis and Themes. However, there was an improved candidate performance on Paper 04, the Oral Examination.

In Unit 2, there was a slight decline in the overall performance of the candidates. The percentage of candidates achieving Grades I – V decreased from 99 per cent in 2016 to 97 per cent in 2017.

However, there was an improved performance on Paper 01, the Listening Comprehension, Paper 02, the Reading and Writing Comprehension and Paper 03, the Literary Analysis and Themes. The performance of candidates on Paper 04, the Oral Examination was consistent with the performances in 2016.

GEOGRAPHY
The percentage of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I–V, in Unit 1 was 98 per cent in 2017 compared with 97 per cent in 2016. For Unit 2, 98 per cent earned acceptable grades in 2017 compared with 93 per cent in 2016. There continues to be notable improvement in candidate performance on the Question 1 for Paper 2 in both Units, which shows that there is continued effort on developing the practical skills of the candidates.

GREEN ENGINEERING
In Unit 1, 58 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–V. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, was good with 95 per cent of candidates achieving Grades I–V while the performance on Paper 02, the Structured Paper, was weak. Candidate performance on Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment, was fairly good. In terms of performance on modules, performance on Module 1, Concepts and Issues, was good. Performance on Module 2, Theoretical Framework of Green Engineering, was weak, while performance on Module 3, Green Engineering in Practice, was moderate.

Unit 2
No candidates were registered for Unit 2.

HISTORY
In Unit 1, there was an improved performance of the candidates writing the 2017 examination. The percentage of candidates achieving Grades I–V in 2017 was 84 per cent compared with 81 per cent in 2016 and 72 per cent in 2015. However, there was a decline in performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, and Paper 02, the Essay Paper. Paper 031, the School-Based Assessment showed an improved performance when compared with 2016.

In Unit 2, there was also an overall improvement in the performance of the candidates in 2017. The percentage of candidates achieving Grades I–V in 2017 was 88 per cent compared with 85 per cent in 2016 and 83 per cent in 2015. There were improvements in the performance of the candidates on all papers.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Approximately 990 candidates wrote the Unit 1 examination in June 2017, which was a significant decrease from 1630 candidates in 2016. Of these candidates, 94 per cent achieved acceptable grades compared with 88 per cent in 2016. Performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, and Paper 03, the School-Based Assessment improved while there was a decline in the performance on Paper 02, the Extended Response, compared with June 2016.

Approximately 900 candidates wrote the Unit 2 examination in 2017, which was an increase from 780 candidates in 2016. Ninety-eight per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I – V compared to 94 per cent in 2016. There was also an increase in the number of candidates achieving Grades I, II and III in 2017.

INTEGRATED MATHEMATICS
This was the second examination of the Integrated Mathematics syllabus. The overall performance of candidates in Unit 1 improved significantly compared with 2016, with approximately 74 per cent of the candidates achieving Grades I-V in 2017, compared with 49 per cent in 2016. This improved performance was also reflected in improved performances on all Papers and Modules.

LAW
In Unit 1, there was a moderate improvement in performance in 2017 as the percentage of candidates who achieved Grades I–V increased from 88 per cent in 2016 to 90 per cent for 2017.
The performance on the modules varied as although there was improvement on Module 2, Principles of Public Law and on Module 3, Criminal Law, there was a decline on Module 1, Caribbean Legal Systems.

In Unit 2, there was an improved performance in 2017 when compared with 2016 as the percentage of candidates who achieved Grades I–V increased from 88 to 95 per cent. This improvement was evident across all three modules. For Module 1, Law of Tort, the figure moved from 68 per cent in 2016 to 84 per cent in 2017; Module 2, Law of Contract, from 38 per cent to 77 per cent and Module 3, Real Property, from 62 per cent to 73 per cent. Candidates demonstrated good understanding of areas such as Principles of Negligence and the Rules of Offer and Acceptance in Module 2 and Easement, Fixtures and Chattels in Module 3.

LITERATURES IN ENGLISH
Candidates’ performance at the acceptable grades, I–V, improved by approximately 10 per cent in 2017 compared with 2016. In 2017, 95 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–V, compared with 85 per cent in 2016.

Performance on Module 1, Drama, showed a sharp increase in the number of candidates achieving Grades A–C. In 2017, 62 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades A–C compared with 23 per cent in 2016. Performance on Module 2, Poetry, and Module 3, Prose Fiction, also increased. The number of candidates achieving Grades A–C in 2017 in Module 2 was 57 per cent compared with 26 per cent in 2016. The percentage increase in Module 3 was less than that of Modules 1 and 2. In 2017, 42 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades A–C in Module 3 compared with 33 per cent in 2016.

Performance in Unit 2 was similar to that of Unit 1. In 2017, 96 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–V, the acceptable grades, compared with 91 per cent in 2016. This represents an increase of approximately 5 per cent.

Performance on all three Modules, improved. Unlike Unit 1, however, most improvement was noted on Module 3, Prose Fiction. Performance on Module 1, Drama, increased from 43 per cent at Grades A–C in 2016 to 58 per cent in 2017. Fifty-nine per cent of the candidates achieved Grades A–C in 2017 on Module 2, Poetry, compared with 44 per cent in 2017, while on Module 3, Prose Fiction, 66 per cent of the candidates achieved Grades A–C in 2017 compared with 41 per cent in 2017.

LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS
This was the second examination of the Logistics and Supply Chain Operations syllabus.

In Unit 1, there was an improvement in the overall performance of candidates compared with 2016. Seventy-eight per cent of candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I-V compared with 71 per cent in 2016. This improvement in performance was evident across Module 1, Logistics and its Role in the Economy, Module 2, Supply Chain and the Global Economy and Module 3, Customer Service in Shipping and Port Operations.

In Unit 2, there was a marked increase in candidate entries where 93 candidates wrote the examination compared with 4 candidates in 2016. This year, forty-six per cent of candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I-V.

MANAGEMENT OF BUSINESS
In Unit 1 there was a marginal improvement in candidate performance with 97 per cent of the candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I-V in 2017 compared with 96 per cent in 2016. There was a marginal decrease in the percentage of Grade I in 2017 (13 per cent) from that of 14 per cent in 2016 but the performance was still distinctively than better that 2015 (4 per cent).

In Unit 2, there was a decline in candidate performance with 91 per cent of the candidates achieving Grades I-V in 2017 compared with 99 per cent in 2016. There was also a decline in the percentage of candidates who achieved Grade 1 (18 per cent) from 24 per cent in 2016 but an improvement over the 2015 performance of 10 per cent.

PERFORMING ARTS
There was a marginal increase in the performance of candidates on Unit 1, Business for the Creative Arts. Approximately 95 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades in 2017 compared with 94 per cent in 2016. Two per cent of the candidates achieved Grade 1. The performance on all three modules: Module 1, Business Feasibility, Module 2, Business Development and Planning and Module 3, Project Planning for the Arts was commendable.

Similar to 2016, the candidate entry was small for all four options of Unit 2.

Option A — Cinematic Arts
Seven candidates registered for this Option. All seven candidates achieved acceptable grades. One candidate achieved Grade I and the other six, Grade II. The quality of work on Paper 02, the written component, showed some improvement compared with 2016.

Option B — Dance
Thirteen candidates wrote the Dance examination. Three candidates achieved Grade II, six Grade III and four, Grade IV. It was noted that the performance on each of the modules: Module 1, History and the Dancing Body, Module 2, Technique and Performance Skills, and Module 3, Chreography and Performance was good.

Option C — Drama
Fifty-four candidates wrote the examination. All of the candidates received acceptable grades ranging from Grade I to V. Six candidates achieved Grade I; 20, Grade II; 14 Grade III; 11, Grade IV, and 3 Grade V. The performance of candidates on each of the modules: Module 1, Caribbean Theatre and the World, Module 2, Forming the Performer, and Module 3, The Art of Performance was good.

Option D — Music
Five candidates wrote the examination and received grades ranging from Grade II to IV. Two candidates achieved Grade II, another 2, Grade III and 1 a Grade IV. While no candidate achieved a Grade I, the quality of work on the written examination showed some improvement compared with 2016.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORT
In Unit 1, overall performance in 2017 was similar to that of 2016 and 2015 with 99 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I–V. Candidates performed better on Module 1, Functional Anatomy and Training Theory, and Module 2, Sociological Aspects of Sport, than on Module 3 Sport Psychology.

In Unit 2, overall performance in 2017 was similar to that of 2016 with 99 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I-V. Candidates performed better on Module 3, Technology and Innovation followed by Module 2, Sport Management and Module 1, Biomechanics.

PHYSICS
In Unit 1, there was a slight improvement in the overall performance of candidates compared with 2016. Ninety-four per cent of candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I–V, compared with 93 per cent in 2016. Candidate performance improved on Module1, Mechanics, and Module 3, Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Matter. There was, however, a slight decline in performance on Module 2, Oscillations and Waves.

In Unit 2, the overall performance of candidates this year was consistent with 2016, with 95 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grades I–V. There was an improved in performance on Module 1, Electricity and Magnetism and a slight decline in performance on Module 2, AC Theory and Electronics. Candidate performance on Module 3, Atomic and Nuclear Physics remained consistent with 2016.

PURE MATHEMATICS
In 2017, 69 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades in Unit 1 compared with 70 per cent in 2016. While there was a moderate decline in the performance on Profile 1, Basic Algebra and Functions, there was an improved performance on Profile 3, Calculus I, especially at the higher grade bands.

In Unit 2, 86 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades compared with 90 per cent in 2016. As in Unit 1, there was a decline in performance on the first Module, Complex Numbers and Calculus II, as well as Module 2, Sequences, Series and Approximations, over the two-year period. However, there was an improved performance on Module 3, Counting, Matrices and Differential Equations.

SOCIOLOGY
In Unit 1, candidates’ performance in 2017 was consistent with 2016. Ninety-one per cent of the candidates who wrote the Unit 1 examination achieved Grades I–V compared with 90 per cent in 2016. While performance on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice, and Paper 02, the Essay, remained consistent with 2016, performance on Paper 031, the School-Based Assessment, and Paper 032, the Alternative to the School-Based Assessment, showed a noticeable improvement. Performance on Module 1, Sociological Concepts, Perspectives and Methods, and Module 3, Social Stratification, showed a marked improvement but there was a slight decline on Module 2, Social Institutions: Family, Religion, Education when compared with 2016.

In Unit 2, the performance of candidates showed a slight improvement when compared with that of 2016. Ninety-eight per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I–V this year, as against 96 per cent in 2016. Significant improvement in candidate performance was seen on Paper 01, the Multiple Choice and Paper 031, the School-Based Assessment while performance on Paper 02, the Essay, remained consistent with 2016. There was a slight decline in performance on Paper 032, the Alternative to the School-Based Assessment. While there was consistency in candidates’ performance on Module 2, Crime and Deviance, there was a marked improvement on Module 1, Population and Development and on Module 3, Caribbean Social Issues: Poverty, Health and Environment, compared with 2016.

Despite the consistency in the level of candidate responses, candidate performance at Grades I–III indicates a need for more emphasis to be placed on the application of sociological concepts and theories to the topics across both units. This application should extend as well into candidates’ essay writing strategies. Candidate performance on the research aspect of the subject has shown improvement compared with the previous years.

SPANISH
In Unit 1, there was an improved performance this year with 95 per cent of candidates achieving Grades I–V, compared with 92 per cent in 2016. This year, 14 per cent of the candidates achieved Grade I; an increase from 12 per cent in 2016.

When compared to the performance of candidates last year, there was an improved performance on Paper 01, the Listening Comprehension, Paper 02, the Reading and Writing Comprehension and Paper 04, the Oral Examination while there was a decline on Paper 03, the Literary Analysis and Themes.

In Unit 2, there was a decline in candidate performance this year with 87 per cent of the candidates achieving Grades I–V compared with 95 per cent in 2016. However, there was an improved performance on Paper 01, the Listening Comprehension, Paper 02, the Reading and Writing Comprehension and a slight decline in performance on Paper 03, the Literary Analysis and Themes.

TOURISM
In Unit 1, there was a slight increase in the percentage of candidates achieving acceptable grades, Grade I-V: 94 per cent in 2017 compared with 92 per cent in 2016. Ninety-eight per cent of the candidates achieved Grades I-V in 2015.

In Unit 2, there was also an improved performance as 98 per cent of the candidates achieved acceptable grades, Grades I-V, compared with 95 per cent in 2016 and 94 per cent in 2015.

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