This paper seeks to investigate possible links between Cambridge examination results in the General Certificate of Education "O" and "A" level examinations over the years, and the annual Jamaican graduate output from the University of the West Indies. Although all faculties are considered, the main interest lies in numbers of graduates from the faculties of Natural Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture and Medicine, linked with passes gained in science subjects at both "O" and "A" level GCE examinations. 

School-based assessments (SBAs) were introduced to improve the validity and authenticity of public examinations across the globe. However, associated with this addition were issues related to teacher involvement, lack of effective material support, and student competence. There were also issues related to reliability and validity in SBAs which led to the conclusion that while reliability is a pre-condition for validity, it is also in tension with it.