The council is empowered to regulate the conduct of any such examinations and prescribe the qualification requirements of candidates and the fees payable by them.

It is now an examining body that provides educational certifications in 16 English-speaking Commonwealth Caribbean countries and territories and has replaced the General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations used by England and some other members of the Commonwealth.

It currently consists of the following members: The Participating Territories are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos Islands.

[9] While it may vary by territory, the CSECs are generally viewed as an employment qualification certifying the holder as a secondary school graduate.

The island territories of Saint Maarten and Saba—both part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands—also conduct exams administered by the council.