Matric exams marking to get underway on 4 January

© Auttapon Moonsawad – 123RF.com

The nationwide exams concluded on 15 December 2020.

“Marking will commence in earnest on 4 January 2021. On 12 February 2021, the DBE will present an irregularities report to UmaIusi, and thereafter wait for the quality assurance agency to make an announcement on the integrity, credibility and fairness of the 2020 NSC examinations,” said Basic Education Minster Angie Motshekga on Thursday.

Results are set to be released on 22 February 2021 and candidates should get their statement of results on 23 February 2021.

The Minister detailed plans for the marking of matric examination scripts during a briefing on Thursday.

The combined exam, which involved full-time and part-time candidates, started on 5 November, with more than one million candidates writing together at the same time.

The exams took place at 8,200 exam centres in all provinces, with 80,000 invigilators. Two hundred and sixteen question papers were written, with more than 10 million scripts printed. The sector appointed 45,000 markers at 180 marking centres.

The size of the 2020 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination was unprecedented and as a result, the capacity of the system was increased to accommodate the record high numbers.

Despite the leaking of the Mathematics Paper 2 and Physical Sciences Paper 2 exams, the department said the exam proceeded well.

To ensure the integrity of the exams, the department declared a national rewrite, which the North Gauteng High Court overturned following a challenge brought by teacher union SADTU, civil rights organisation AfriForum and other interested parties.

Matric rewrite set aside

14 Dec 2020

Speaking at the briefing on Thursday, Motshekga said the department still strongly believes that the court’s ruling did not deal with the credibility, integrity and fairness of the 2020 NSC examination resulting from the leaks.

“We must say that some of the findings of the High Court are discordant with the applicable basic education legislative provisions, and some findings were made against the department on issues that were not even raised in the court papers.

“The legal team is exploring avenues that are to be used to address some of the errors we have picked up in the judgment,” said the Minister.

The DBE said it will approach the courts to challenge aspects of the judgment handed down by Judge Norman Davis, which set aside the matric national rewrite.