• The South African certification overseer, Umalusi, says that the country’s systems are mostly ready for the end-year matric exams.
• It says that 1.2 million people will be sitting down to write exams in November and December.
• Of those, it has revealed that only 15 211 will write IEB exams at year end.

The 2023 edition of the matric exams is around the corner, with the Department of Basic Education counting down the days before the official commencement of the end-of-year Nation Senior Certificate (NSC) exam period.

In preparation for the 2023 matric exams, the national council that oversees the awarding of qualifications says that the South African education system is “largely ready” to conduct, administer, and manage the end-of-year examinations.

This extends to both public institutions and private ones, with Umalusi adding that in total 1.2 million learners will sit in November and December for the exams. Of those, 898 520 will sit for the matric exams to earn an NSC qualification.

According to a breakdown provided in a statement from Umalusi, there are 15 211 matrics going to write for the Independent Examination Board (IEB), 135 897 writing for the National Certificate (Vocational) Levels 2 – 4, and 56 068 for the Adult Basic Education and Training Certificate.

The 2023 exams will be another sustained period of stress and hard work for South Africa’s class, as such some government entities have been looking for ways to support those who are sitting. In September, Western Cape Education launched an online resource hub to help learners prepare for their exams.

“Our annual Matric Support booklet has been delivered to schools for over 60 000 candidates, and contains past papers in high enrolment subjects, the exam timetable, study tips, post-matric advice, and pass requirements,” said the department.

“It also provides candidates and their parents with all the details on when and how the results will be released, the dates for re-mark and re-check applications, and how to apply for supplementary exams after receiving their results if they would like to improve their marks.”

Access to the materials and resources from the online hub can be found here.

Hypertext will have several areas of coverage during and after the 2023 matric exams, including timetables, online resources and where you can find your results.

[Image – Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash]