An overview of the road to the 2019 examinations

GOOD DAY to you all. It is within my jurisdiction to welcome everyone to the lessons in principles of business for the 2018-2019 academic year. It must be noted that those of you who will sit the examinations in January 2019 will be examined on the syllabus effective for examinations from May-June 2018, including 2019 amendments. However, those of you who will sit the examination in May-June 2019 will be tested based on a new syllabus effective at that time. It is important that you prepare yourselves with the correct syllabus in mind.

The principles of business examination continues to be e-marked. Students are being reminded, therefore, that for each part of the questions on Paper 02 of the exam, a specific number of lines will be provided for your response. If your response is longer than the space provided, you should use the additional pages and remember to indicate the question number and part of the question you are responding to. To help you to understand the format for Paper 02, I have reproduced a part of question 1 from the June 2015 paper:

1. (a) Define EACH of the following business concepts:

(i) Profit (2 marks)

(ii) Enterprise (2 marks)

This series of lessons will prepare you for CSEC principles of business (POB) general proficiency.

It is important that you arm yourself with the correct syllabus and at least one textbook; more if possible. Past-paper questions are also valuable, as you can do questions related to the areas that you have been taught.

Some of the texts that are on the market, based on the current syllabus, include:

Principles of Business for CSEC – by Peter Stimpson, Yvonne Harvey, et al – Nelson Thornes Publishers

Principles of Business for CSEC – by Karlene Robinson and Sybile Hamil – Carlong Publishers

Principles of Business for CSEC Examinations – by Davion Leslie and Kathleen Singh – Cambridge Publishers

Principles of Business for CSEC – by the Caribbean Examinations Council – for selfstudy and distance learning.

Also, there are revision texts and past-paper booklets available. You may also check the website www.cxc.org for an update of the syllabus.

ORGANISATION OF THE NEW SYLLABUS TO BE TESTED IN MAY-JUNE 2019

The syllabus has three profile dimensions as follows:

Profile dimension 1 – Organisational principles

Profile dimension 2 – Promotion and logistics

Profile dimension 3 – Government and technology

Profile dimension 1 has four sections, profile dimension 2 has three sections, and profile dimension 3 also has three sections. The titles of these sections are given in the syllabus.

Each candidate will be awarded a grade on a sixpoint scale (grades 1-3 are regarded as passing grades). In addition, a letter grade will be given under each profile dimension.

FORMAT OF THE EXAMINATION

The examination will consist of three papers:

Paper 01 (1hr 15 min)

This will be a 60-item multiple-choice test. Questions will be based on all three profile dimensions for a total of 60 marks. For the distribution of questions across the syllabus for this paper, please check the syllabus, pages 5-6. This will be 30% of the final mark.

Paper 02 (2 hrs)

This is commonly called the essay paper. It will consist of five compulsory questions. There will be two questions on Profile 1, two questions on Profile 2 and one question on Profile 3. All questions on this paper are worth 20 marks for a total of 100 marks. This paper is 50% of the final mark.

For students who are registered in the regular school system, there will still be the requirement of the School-Based Assessment (SBA). This is Paper 03/1. See pages 56-60 of the syllabus. The alternative to the SBA for private candidates only, Paper 03/2, is discussed on page 61 of the syllabus. The SBA and the alternative to the SBA are marked out of 40 and constitute 20% of the final mark.

The overview presented above is a summary based on pages 1-7 of the new syllabus. It is in your interest to have a copy of this syllabus and to internalise the details of these pages.

Next week, I will begin Profile/Section 1: The Nature of Business.

I am looking forward to an exciting and rewarding year with you all. Take care until next week.

Yvonne Harvey teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com.