Career Information -NSC Re-write

Introduction

Matric is an exciting year for thousands of learners, as they stand at the gateway into adult life — full of dreams and aspirations as the papers are written. A matric certificate provides a "passport" into tertiary study. The recent pandemic brought a host of challenges for matriculants in 2020: some were unable to write their examinations at all, due to the circumstances and difficulties associated with lockdown restrictions and not being present at school. Fortunately, there is a second national examination that allows learners to re-write their exams if they achieved poor results. It is therefore the CDP's responsibility to know where to access information on matric NSC re-write centres and schedules.

Case study

Adam was well prepared to write his final examination in 2020, during one of the most taxing years any matriculant could face amid the pandemic. He did his best to attend all extra classes offered, even though this was genuinely difficult under lockdown regulations. Unfortunately, Adam started to feel unwell during his exams and was unable to concentrate or think clearly. Shortly after his last paper, he tested positive for Covid-19. His results were not as strong as he had hoped, and he felt he would no longer be accepted into an engineering programme, as his mathematics and physical science marks did not meet the requirements.

Utterly disheartened, he approached a career development practitioner for guidance. The practitioner spoke to Adam about the options provided by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), mentioning that he could re-write the supplementary examinations available in May and June. The closing date for applications was 31 January. This option suited Adam well, as he wanted to improve his mathematics and physical science marks, and the supplementary exam was intended for candidates wanting to improve on results achieved in the previous November examinations. Adam was relieved to know that an option was available to him.

National Senior Certificate

The National Senior Certificate (NSC), popularly known as "matric", is a substantial achievement — it signals to learners and their guardians that the individual has completed 12 years of required schooling. The NSC is the nationally recognised and internationally comparable school-leaving certificate, registered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). The certificate is awarded to learners who have met the requirements set by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Umalusi, the Quality Council for General and Further Education and Training. The NSC opens up access to various post-school opportunities depending on a learner's performance in Grade 12, including entry-level employment, admission to a learnership or internship programme, and admission to colleges, universities or other higher education institutions.

Second Chance Matric Support Programme

The DBE has developed a programme for matriculants who did not pass the NSC examinations. The purpose of the Second Chance Matric Support Programme is to offer support to those who were unable to meet the NSC requirements, or the amended Senior Certificate pass requirements. The DBE has collected extensive multimedia material to help learners re-write the National Senior Certificate examinations. This material — made up of videos, study guides and audio content — does not cover the entire curriculum, but focuses on the core content of each knowledge area and highlights where re-writers can earn easy marks.

The DBE encourages those re-writing to work through the provided material to improve their understanding, identify areas of weakness and correct their own mistakes. Learners are also encouraged to cover the remaining aspects of the curriculum using other textbooks.

Benefits of the Second Chance Matric Support Programme

- Learners get a second chance to meet the NSC or Senior Certificate requirements, and can therefore obtain their Grade 12 matric certificate.

- It increases learner retention, and fewer students are likely to drop out of school due to failing matric.

- It helps improve computer skills, career pathing knowledge and access to job opportunities.

- Learners are also able to access bursary opportunities to assist with further study.

Supplementary examinations / June NSC exams

The supplementary examination previously held in February or March has been phased out and is no longer available. A new supplementary examination is now available in May and June, during which candidates can improve their results or complete outstanding subjects. The deadline for applications is 31 January of the current year.

Conditions for entry

- Candidates may only register for subjects for which they were registered in the previous November examination.

- Candidates who want to improve results achieved in the previous November examinations, either in a particular subject or in their overall aggregate, may register.

- Candidates who choose the Multiple Examination Opportunity (MEO) option must complete their remaining subjects during the NSC June exam period.

- Candidates absent for a valid reason (such as a medical condition or the death of an immediate family member) may register for the NSC June examination. Candidates can choose between writing only the papers they missed, or all of the examination papers.

- Candidates who would like to improve their overall achievement status, or only a particular subject's achievement, can register for the NSC June examination — this includes MEO candidates.

- If an irregularity is under investigation, provisional enrolment for the NSC June examination may be granted to the candidate concerned while the investigation's outcome is pending.

- Candidates who were unable to write or complete one or more of their NSC November examination papers, for reasons other than illness, injury or a death in the family, may apply to write the NSC June examination, provided the school principal submits a written report.

Required documentation to apply to re-write

To apply to re-write NSC examinations, a matric candidate must apply with the following:

- A statement of their previous NSC results, to serve as proof of their November examination registration.

- A certified copy of their ID or passport.

- Documentation to substantiate the reason for absenteeism, submitted at the registration centre to confirm entry to the June examination.

Matric NSC re-write centres and schedules

Information on the location of re-write centres, and the relevant exam schedules, becomes available closer to examination time. CDPs and candidates can check regularly for updates at: https://www.education.gov.za/Programmes/SecondChanceProgramme.aspx.

What if a candidate does not qualify to write the June NSC examination?

Candidates who do not qualify for the June NSC examination have a few options:

- They can re-enrol for the NSC as a full-time repeater candidate at a school, provided they are younger than 21.

- They may alternatively register as a part-time repeater candidate at a Public Adult Education Centre if they are over 21.

- They can register for the Senior Certificate (SC) examination — a school-leaving qualification for adults and out-of-school learners, provided their School-Based Assessment (SBA) is still valid.

- Alternatively, candidates who are unsuccessful in their examinations could consider vocational education or training, as there are 50 public TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) colleges across all the provinces.