Almost 300 fewer students are taking the exam this year for the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE), commonly known as the Common Entrance Exam or 11-Plus exam than in the past two years.
This year, 3,011 students will write the 2024 exam versus 3,295 in 2023 and 3,300 in 2022.
However, in regard to non-nationals, this number has grown in the same three-year period. In 2022, 112 non-nationals met the criteria, while in 2023, of the 129 requests, 126 were approved, and this year, the figure has increased to 136.
As it pertains to early sitters, the number has been fairly consistent. This year 18 students are sitting the exam before the age of 11 years old, while last year 20 students were between age nine and ten when writing the paper, and in 2022, 18 early sitters did the paper.
On the other hand, special requests in 2023 jumped to 180 in comparison to the previous year 2022 which had 116 requests, and that new figure has practically held steady this year at 183. These students will get writing or reading assistance, amended scripts such as with extra large print and or extra time or breaks in some cases.
The Ministry of Education has seen a drastic decline in deferrals as well this year in comparison to the last two years. This year, there are only 100 deferrals, while 2023 saw 147 deferrals and 2022 there were 169 deferrals. The number of exemptions continues to fluctuate with 15 in 2022, 56 in 2023 and some 48 this time around.
The students will write this year’s paper tomorrow, May 7, at the 21 secondary schools on island.
