Following the release of the June/July sitting of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams, the council is reporting an increase in the number of examination irregularities.

The disclosure was made by Director of Operations Dr Nicole Manning, who spoke at the release of the Second Sitting of CXC examinations in St Vincent and the Grenadines on Saturday (October 30).

According to Manning, this year’s sitting saw a 400 per cent increase in exam irregularities for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and a 100 per cent increase for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC).

Manning indicated that the increase in irregularities could possibly be attributed to the use of cellular phones in examination rooms among other things.

This is an issue CXC Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Dr Wayne Wesley noted could be combated with invigilators enforcing a stricter environment for exams.

“To cut down on that, we’ll have to just continue working with our invigilators and communication with our candidates about what is permitted into the examination room. What you can take there and what you can’t,” said Wesley.

He added: “We also have to ensure as well that our invigilators would have been properly briefed as to what is expected in that room and to enforce the rules.”