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what is the pass mark for cxc

For CXC there is no single fixed “pass mark” like 50%; instead, you pass based on the grade you earn, and the percentage cutoff for each grade can change from year to year and from subject to subject.

Quick Scoop: What counts as a pass in CXC?

For most practical purposes in the Caribbean:

  • CSEC (CXC)
    • Grades I, II and III are generally treated as “passes” for jobs and for moving on to sixth form or other programmes.
* Grades IV, V and VI are usually considered not good enough for most formal requirements, though they still show you attempted the subject.
  • CAPE
    • CAPE grades go from I to VII, and institutions typically treat Grades I–V as passes for individual units, with I–III preferred for competitive programmes.

So what is the exact pass mark?

CXC does not publish the exact percentage you need for a Grade I, II or III:

  • The examining body explicitly states that it is not their policy to release score cut‑offs or grade boundaries.
  • The mark needed for each grade can vary:
    • From one subject to another (Math vs English vs Biology), and
    • From one exam sitting to another, depending on how difficult the paper was and how candidates performed overall.

Because of this, you might hear teachers or YouTubers say things like “around 80% for a Grade 1,” but those are examples or estimates , not official fixed pass marks.

How to think about “pass mark” as a student

Even though you can’t know the exact boundary, a practical way to aim is:

  1. Target at least the 60–70% region overall if you want to feel reasonably safe for a Grade II/III in many subjects (this is a rough rule of thumb teachers often use, not an official figure).
  1. Push for 75–80%+ if you’re aiming for Grade I, since that keeps you well above most informal “A‑range” expectations teachers talk about.
  1. Work to maximise SBA/IA marks , since those are combined with your exam papers and can lift you over a borderline grade. Many subjects use something like 20–25% for SBA and the rest from Papers 1 and 2, though the exact weighting varies by subject.

In other words: you “pass CXC” not by hitting one magic percentage, but by earning at least a Grade III at CSEC (or the equivalent passing grade at CAPE), and the percentage needed to do that moves depending on the subject and the exam session.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.