The Caribbean Exam Board's 2026 AI U-Turn Reaches Dominica — CXC Permits, Then Redesigns, Assessment Around Generative AI

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), the regional body that sets the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and CCSLC qualifications for 21 English-speaking Caribbean states and territories including Dominica, announced on 16 July 2026 that it will permit the use of generative AI in school-based assessments (SBAs) from 2026, governed by a newly published 'Standards and Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in CXC's Assessment.' Dominica News Online, the Antigua Observer, the Jamaica Gleaner and the Saint Lucia Daily Post all covered the announcement as breaking national news for their territories.

Rather than simply allowing AI, CXC is phasing out the traditional SBA for most non-practical subjects (Mathematics, English, Caribbean History, Social Studies, Principles of Business) because generative AI has undermined confidence in take-home coursework. From the May-June 2027 sitting, CAPE candidates move to a redesigned 'Paper 032', sat under examination conditions but with topics released a month in advance, extra completion time, and permission to bring reference notes; CSEC schools can choose between the old SBA and Paper 032 in 2027, before Paper 032 becomes mandatory for CSEC's May-June 2028 sitting. Practical subjects — Agricultural Science, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, Technical Drawing, Food/Nutrition/Health — keep traditional SBA with strengthened moderation.

CXC Registrar and CEO Dr Wayne Wesley framed the change bluntly: 'The integrity of our qualifications is not negotiable,' while Director of Operations Dr Nicole Manning stressed that 'a CXC qualification means something to employers, universities, parents, families.' As a full CXC member state whose students sit CSEC and CAPE, Dominica is directly and immediately affected by the reform, even though — unlike Cayman Islands' teacher-training response to the same reform — no Dominica-specific preparation programme has yet been reported.

Because Paper 032 only begins its phased rollout in 2027, no learning-outcome or fairness evidence yet exists; this is a policy response to a perceived integrity threat from generative AI, not yet a pedagogically evaluated intervention.

Read the full analysis: https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/homepage-carousel/cxc-announces-major-changes-to-school-based-assessments-as-ai-reshapes-education/