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Following the January 2010 CSEC examination session. CXC has now posted their media release on the session proformance. Below is a extract of the article.

The number of candidates sitting the 2010 January Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations more than doubled, with some 54,866 candidates writing the examinations compared with 26,093 in 2009.

Subject entries also increased significantly with 76, 899 subject entries received this year compared with 43, 873 in 2009.

The increase was due mainly to a change in policy in Trinidad and Tobago; where the Government took a decision to pay the fees of all private candidates to write CXC examinations.

Performance declined in nine of the twelve subjects offered in January, while improvements were made in the other three subjects, when compared with performance in 2009.

While the overall performance percentage declined by three percent, the actual number of candidates achieving acceptable grades at the higher end of the scale increased in several of the subjects.

In 2009 when there were 43, 873 subject entries, 55 percent of entries achieved acceptable grades – Grades I to III, and this year with 76, 899 subject entries, 51 percent of the entries achieved acceptable grades.

The three subjects with improved performance were Chemistry, Human and Social Biology and Information Technology.

For Chemistry, 41 percent of the entries achieved acceptable grades compared with 37 percent in 2009. Despite the improvement, the Examining Committee said Organic Chemistry remains a major weakness on the Chemistry paper.

Human and Social Biology saw a nine-percentage point improvement, with 54 percent of the entries achieving Grades I to III compared with 45 percent in 2009. Information Technology, which declined last year, rebounded this year with a seven-percent improvement. Sixty-four percent of the entries achieved Grades I to III compared with 57 percent in 2009.

Noting the improved performance on questions dealing with Database Management, the Examining Committee for Information Technology listed five areas of weak performance. These are Binary Mathematics, User Interfaces, Problem-Solving and Programming, Spreadsheet and Database Management.

Spanish returned the best performance overall, even though there was a decline when compared with 2009. Seventy percent of entries achieved acceptable grades this year, compared with 75 percent last year.

Most of the Examining Committees reported a general lack of preparedness of candidates.

The Principles of Accounts Committee stated that candidates were “not adequately prepared,” and suggested that candidates “utilize the resources available including the POA Study Guide and past examination papers.” The latter was also recommended by the Social Studies Examining Committee.

Performance in Biology this year declined significantly compared with previous years and the Examining Committee identified four topics which candidates were particularly weak on. These are Fruit and Seed Dispersal, Plant and Animal Cell Structure, Adaptations to the environment and Physical factors of the environment.

Further, the Committee expressed the view that while candidates may know some of the material, “they could not effectively utilize their knowledge.”

Mathematics, with 22, 354 entries, saw a decline in performance this year, however, the Committee noted that candidates showed good proficiency in Computation, Set theory, Consumer Arithmetic and Investigations, but “performed poorly on Relations, Functions and Graphs, Trigonometry and Geometry, Vector and Matrices and Measurement.”

English A had the largest number of candidates registered, some 23,062. There was a marginal decline in performance; 55 percent of entries achieved Grades I to III, compared with 59 percent in 2009. The Examining Committee has recommended that “efforts to improve the skills of teachers in the teaching of English must be ongoing.”

The reigning Miss Guyana Universe, 20 year old Janelle Cox is pregnant and may be forced to give up her crown before she is stripped of the title. Janelle who captured the title last June represented Guyana at the Miss Universe pageant in The Bahamas.

News of the pregnancy was first reported by the local entertainment programme "in da mix" which is aired on HJTV.

According to "in da mix" the beauty queen is 2 months pregnant and is receiving the support of her family and close friends. Pageant organizers only learnt of the pregnancy when the story broke on the tv show. The same night the beauty queen attended a prize giving ceremony for the local pageant and the organizers had very little to say to her.

The Miss Guyana Queen is said to be happy with the pregnancy and is prepared for all the talk and scrutiny that is sure to follow. She is the first Miss Guyana Queen to become pregnant during her reign.

Close friends say the beauty queen will only be celebrating woman hood and they do not believe she should lose her title or be forced to give it up because of the pregnancy. Janelle is also engaged and though there is no talk right now about a wedding, her fiance is said to be very supportive right now.

The pregnancy could cause a major headache for pageant organizers as they

DEEJAY Sean Paul not only has a mix tape but is charting on Billboards Hot 100 from a collaboration with new British R&B singer Jay Sean.

Sean's Do You Remember which also features a third artiste, Lil Jon, peaked at 10 on the Hot 100 Billboard charts and currently charts at 27. The single is not only getting chart success but is getting underground plays as it is featured on the Jamaican's 19 track mix- ape -- The Odyssey.

Sean told Billboard.com that the collaboration evolved from "messing around in the studio" and realising that a deejay would fit the track. A week later, he met Paul at the VMA Awards and both artistes exchanged numbers upon agreeing to do the collaboration.

"Two days later, I sent the song to him and he sent it back and it was done," Sean told Billboard.

It is Jay Sean's second top 10 following his charting at one on the Hot 100 with the single, Down.

Paul's mix tape features released and unreleased tracks with artistes including Jigzag, Chi Chinching, Sean Kingston, Chris Brown, Wayne Marshall, Chino, Farenheit, Busy Signal and Busta Rhymes.

President and CEO of Universal Music Group Distribution, Jim Urie, cannot get enough of Busy Signal's cover of the Phil Collins hit 'One More Night'.  Urie was so impressed by the cover that he has added the single to his annual compilation album.

At the end of each year Urie releases a double CD album with his favorite songs from various genres and his 2009 compilation features 'One More Night' by ace dancehall deejay Busy Signal. "When I saw the album and saw the song listed, I couldn't believe, the song really gone universal", said Signal. The video for the single was released three weeks ago and has been receiving steady rotation on local TV stations. In addition, the song has been added to several charts both locally and overseas.

Signal is busy in Jamaica completing the finishing touches on his soon to be released album, before heading off on another successful tour.

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After all the dust has settled for the nation's 40th Republic anniversary from Church Street to the National Park, Banks DIH and Digicel are the major prize winners for the 2010 costume float parade competitions.

Banks DIH got four first place spots for the best individual King that presented the majesty of the Banks Beer, Best full costume large band than numbered in excess of 200 and best Semi costume band which featured about 300 revelers. That company also won the commercial floats top prize. Additionally Banks DIH also copped two third place prizes in the individual female and queen categories.  

Digicel captured three first place spots in the individual male, female and Queen categories as well as one third in the Large full costumes band for their Pollination presentation the featured the Humming Bird, the Honey bee and  the Hibiscus flower all designed by Olympia Sonnoram.

Carib Beer copped three third place spots for individual female, male and

Melissa 'Vanilla' Roberts age 27 has copped the Road March queen making it her third hold on the title.  This is the official results out of the Mash Secretariat which state that her song 'High' was the most played along the Mashramani route on February 23. Prior she had won the title in 2007 when she sang 'Queen of the band' then again in last year and this year.

This was her 4th year in the competition but she only missed the title by one point in 2008 when Big Red won with 'on the road again.'

Her song high came up against fifteen others including Jumo's 'in de air' and Bones-man's 'Mashramani time is we own'.

Vanilla  also placed  second in the soca monarch competition as she had done last year with rude and said that she will certainly be going up for the title of soca monarch next year as well as going for a three-pete.
 
Two weeks from now Vanilla's fans can look forward to yet another scorching video from her.  She will be releasing a video for her single titled "Pressure". She expressed gratitude to all her supporters and said "I could not have done it with out you the fans."

Despite the Controversy leading up to the Beyonce Show In Trinidad And Tobago. Whereby promoters for the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival where calling for the local sponsors of an upcoming BEYONCE concert to reschedule the show - because the gig will siphon funds from the annual cultural celebrations. Well the show when on schedule just two days after the massive two-day Carnival event wraps. This call to rescheulde the show was due to the hudge cost attached to the event. Whereby, those funds could have gone towards hosting the festival.

Nevertheless, both events when on as planned and as we now put a rap on our final article on Beyonce Trinidad Concert by reviewing the concert held on Thursday 18th Feb, 2010.

Dressed in a gold one-piece swimwear-like outfit, mega star Beyonce, in her first ever performance in Trinidad and Tobago, took the Queen’s Park Savannah stage at the b-Mobile sponsored event at 8.23 Thursday night.

The United States-born R&B sensation kicked off her set with “Crazy Love”, sending thousands of patrons wild with screams. She and two of her female dancers then raised the temperature with sultry dance moves as she sang “Sexy Boy”.

An all-woman band commanded the audience alongside Beyonce, delivering hard-edged R&B music sharpened with rock and blues.

“This is my first time performing here and I can see you all can party. This show is very special to me, because it’s the last stop of the I AM tour,” Beyonce told the fans. Along with her band, Beyonce had with her a troupe of dancers that included look-alikes and men. A huge video screen projected images and scenes that blended with the stage setting.

When Beyonce, whose stage persona is Sasha Fierce, performed “I Wanna Run”, she appeared on a stepped platform overlooking the stage dressed in white, with an animated beach scene behind her. She then moved into an adapted cover of “Ave Maria”, for which bridal adornments were added to the outfit. Beyonce added a verse of “In the Arms of an Angel” to the piece.

Earlier, soca superstar Machel Montano took to the stage for his opening act performance at 6 pm, with a grand fanfare that included an intro featuring

Good news for Hilary Duff’s career! The actress/singer appears to be engaged to her hockey star boyfriend, Mike Comrie. The pair, who have dated since 2007, were spotted by paparazzi cameras on the balcony of their Hawaii hotel, cuddling, snuggling and drinking wine.

Seems like World Vaguely RemembersWho Hilary Duff Is. So lets give you a brief recap. Hilary used to do actual things that made her famous: she starred as Lizzie Maguire (aka, the Hannah Montana of the early 2000s) on the Disney Channel, feuded with Lindsay Lohan over Aaron Carter and had a huge album in 2003, from which the opening theme of “The Hills” was born (thanks for that, Hil). But then she got giant vaneers on her teeth, lost a lot of weight (that she eventually gained back, thankfully) and got stuck doing things washed-up actresses do, like gust starring on “Gossip Girl.”

Let’s hope some new bling and a wedding help to reboot her career and, as a bonus, make her less-talented sister Haylie jealous. Lest we forget: Congrats Hilary!

The stage will be set for Guyana to experience a true Mash explosion reggae and Dance Hall style through the credible promoting abilities of Seven star entertainment and Vizion Sounds promotions.

After the soca hype for Feb, fans of dance hall and reggae vibes are encouraged to head to the National Park on February 27 for the official 'Mash Explosion' concert.

Headed Guyana's way for the show are Anthony B and Baby Cham. Anthony B touches down on Thursday February 25 and will be making several appearances on television and radio before the concert  while Baby Cham arrives on February 26 on a morning flight out Miami, he will also be making several appearances before heading to the National Park the following night to perform.