 Some 2,015 candidates from 69 primary schools are registered to write the external component of this year's CPA exams. This is the second sitting of the exams in St. Lucia and the Subregion, and CXC officials want to know whether the syllabus, teaching approach, and assessment criteria designed for the exams are meeting the expectations of the teachers and students alike within the Subregion. The visits conducted throughout last week at several primary schools across the island are attempting to evaluate the exam successes, as well as its challenges. CXC's CPEA syllabus and curriculum manager, Latoya Wedderburn-Rose, says the data collected will help review the exams in order to make it better. The views of our stakeholders, that's very important, CXC is very consultative, we appreciate collaboration, we believe that the students' voice that is important, the teachers' voice that's also important, we decided to interview them separately because you know sometimes when students are with teachers they kind of freeze up, but just to say that at some of our locations the teachers were actually present in the room, however they did not interfere with the process. This Wedderburn-Rose says some of the best responses came from the students since they are the ones sitting the exam and says CXC values their input immensely. The students were asked questions such as what do you enjoy most about CPEA, describe some of the things that you disliked, we also asked them what their recommendations would be to strengthen the product, if it worked that they had to come back to grade 6 to do this art again. The external component of the CPEA exams comprises mathematics, social studies, language and science. Each examination paper contains 50 multiple choice items. Testing and assessment officer with St Lucia's Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training, Priscilla Silvest says CXC's evaluation of the CPEA is timely as it gives the examination unit a chance to assess how well it is doing to meet the needs of the students who are the ones sitting and benefitting from the CPEA. For some students the express that it is a difficult process, for the teachers as well the students express that it is a challenging process for the teachers as well, the teachers, some of them, while they understand that it is a meriting CPEA, they also express that there were challenges along the way and of course this is where now the feedback that we are receiving through this process will assist us in meeting the needs and that of the students. Primary schools are expected to present their scores and samples for the internal component of the CPEA by Thursday May 19th 2023. The internal component of the CPEA carries 40% of the overall mark and involves the submission of a school-based assessment. I am the communications unit of the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training. I am Chris Satney reporting.