Page 19 - CXC Frequently Asked Questions_flipbook trialvfinal

Question: What exam papers do I need to complete when studying by myself?

Answer: Private candidates are required to write the compulsory papers but will have the
option of not completing the internal assessment (IA) or school based assessment (SBA). Such a
candidate may opt to write the alternative to the IA/SBA paper. This paper assesses the same
skills as those assessed by the IA/SBA.

Question: Why do some candidates appear to have better Module Grades but a lower overall
Subject Grade when compared to other candidates.

Answer: CAPE results are reported as an overall Unit grade (Roman numerals I to VII) and
three Module grades (letters A to G). Each overall grade indicates that the candidate has earned
a score that lies somewhere along the band of scores associated with that grade. The same is
true for each Module grade.

So, we may have two candidates whose results look like this:

Overall Module 1 Module 2 Module 3

Grade II A B B
Joe Singh I ABC
Maria Jones

Maria may have earned her Grade I with a Module 1 score that was far above the cut-off score
for an A, her Modules 2 and 3 scores that were far above the cut-off scores for a B and C
respectively. Joe, on the other hand, may have a score just above or at the cut-off score for an
A on Module 1, and may be just above the cut scores for a B on Modules 2 and 3.

Thus, when the module scores are added for Maria to give the overall score that score places
Maria in the Grade I band. On the other hand when the module scores are added for Joe the
overall score is less than the minimum score required for a Grade I. The overall scores reflect
different overall Grades because of different patterns of performance with respect to the
Modules.

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