French and geography continue to present difficulties for CSEC candidates in Antigua and Barbuda, with education officials pointing to persistent weaknesses despite modest gains this year.

The pass rate for French rose to 56%, while geography improved to 46.7%. Both remain well below national and regional averages.

Dr Myrick Smith, the local CXC registrar, described the two subjects as “trouble areas,” noting that geography results are consistently undermined by poor map-reading skills.

“I am a geography teacher, and from my perspective we need to concentrate more on the map-reading, the topographic map reading section of the syllabus and ensure that first of all teachers are competent in that area,” he said. “If the teachers are not competent, then of course it would be reflected in the competency developed by the students.”

He cited CXC feedback showing that on a 25-mark map-reading question, “the average for the region was about eight out of the 25.”

French has long been another area of concern. Dr Smith admitted he could not speak directly to the teaching of the subject, but acknowledged the persistent perception that it is more difficult than Spanish. Former French teachers have also suggested that student attitudes and teaching approaches may be contributing to the low outcomes.

“French, although there was an increase this year, continues to be low in terms of the pass rate of 56%,” Dr Smith said.

While other subjects showed robust performance — with industrial technology, information technology and English A all surpassing 85% — officials stressed that the weak results in French and geography require targeted attention.

“We need to put more into those areas to improve performance,” Dr Smith added.

The Ministry of Education is expected to hold discussions with teachers and curriculum specialists on how best to address the recurring challenges.