The significance of the National Senior Certificate in shaping futures

TENS of thousands of matriculants, along with thousands of parental homes, schools and teachers, are tensely awaiting the announcement by the Minister of Basic Education of the results of the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examination.

In many ways, the NSC directs a learner’s opportunities and life chances on the road going forward, and the anticipated announcement is probably one of the most important events on the path of the Grade 12 school leaver. Admission to further study, opportunities in the world of work, the licence to pursue aspirations — for every individual, these depend on the announcement which is about to be made.

Every school leaver has dedicated twelve years or even more to preparation for the examination and has shown tenacity in pursuing this sought-after qualification. During the twelve-year period, the three elements of the instructional triangle have interacted in various ways and with various degrees of intensity — the learners had to play an increasing role; schools and teachers had to work through increasing levels of complexity with the students; and the parental home (including guardians, significant others and communities) provided support and encouragement where possible.

It is important to realise that no candidate stands alone in the examination — in the background, there is a significant group of role players, all of whom have an interest in the outcome of the examination.

Has all this hard work been worth it? Is the certificate to be awarded a credible one? Various angles need to be considered in the search for an answer to this question. In effect, the preparation for the NSC is a 12-year process. If anything goes wrong or comes unstuck during that process, it could heighten or diminish the quality of the qualification for the individual.

• The first factor to look at is the quality of the teaching and instruction the individual has received. Was the approach to instruction up to standard? Was it in accordance with the prescripts? The SAOU is one of a number of organisations monitoring teaching standards in schools, providing advice, offering training courses, and serving annually on the scores of committees which ensure that teachers are fully empowered on the methodologies needed for their work.
• The second factor is the level and standard of the curriculum, in short, is the material learners have to master comparable with what is offered to pupils in other countries in the world? The 12-year system in South Africa requires candidates to offer seven subjects in the 12th year. In some countries, the requirement in the final years is sometimes three subjects, which means that there is more depth but on a narrower subject composition. In comparing the South African curriculum with that in other countries, there must be assurance that the comparison is with similar systems. That comparison indicates that the South African curriculum compares positively with similar education systems, and in some aspects, it is more comprehensive.
• A third factor to look at concerns the level of training and the qualifications of the teacher offering the subject in Grade 12. The general expectation is that a teacher offering a subject in Grade 12 should at least hold a second-year level in the subject at university. Annually, the SAOU focuses on the training of practising teachers to make a contribution to ensuring that they are in command of the most recent subject knowledge and that they are abreast of the most recent approaches. At national and provincial levels, the SAOU is closely involved in committees and structures tasked with the content and composition of courses for teacher training.

These three aspects are among the cornerstones that ensure that a quality qualification is built up over a period of time.

After this, various factors affect the assessment and evaluation of the candidate’s performance. Are the tests, examinations and assignments which are used to evaluate the candidate’s achievement on par, and are they in accordance with the prescripts of the various laws, regulations and policy determinations which regulate instruction in the subject?

The internal evaluation to determine the candidate’s marks for school-based assessment (SBA) will play an important role later on when determining the final examination mark in the National Senior Certificate. Especially in the Grade 10-12 period (the FET Phase), the candidate must practise the various elements which will ultimately be encountered as part of the Grade 12 examination. It is self-evident that if a candidate is not exposed to various challenges, the ability to deal with unknown facts or patterns of thought will probably be disastrous.

When an examination question paper for a specific subject is being considered, the best practitioners in the country are used to set the question paper. Thereafter, the question paper is subjected to the critical gaze of a moderator who ensures that there is compliance with subject requirements, the various levels of knowledge and all the prescribed demands.

The work of the moderator is demanding and responsible, because this will determine whether or not the question paper is ready to be submitted by the examining body (for public schools in South Africa, this is the Department of Basic Education (DBE)) to the quality assurer (Umalusi).

Obviously, this is a highly confidential process as examination papers may not be leaked. Regular meetings between the Director-General of the DBE and the SAOU, among other key role players, ensure that this process is as transparent as possible. Once Umalusi has certified that the question paper, in their opinion, meets all the requirements, it is readied for distribution with a view to the examination. With regard to the 2025 examination, SAOU is more than satisfied that the examination papers were at the standard demanded by the prescripts.

All the factors mentioned lead up to the point where the candidate has the question paper in front of him or her and can formulate the answers. Ideally, candidates should receive instruction in advance about useful tactics for writing examinations — this leads to greater confidence in the examination.

Once the question paper has been written, it is stored in a warehouse together with the thousands of others in anticipation of the marking process. In 2025 the more than 900 000 candidates who wrote seven subjects produced millions of answer scripts, excluding the candidates who wrote single subjects.

For 2025, even stricter selection processes for invigilators and markers were implemented, together with strengthened measures for the control of marking centres. The SAOU supported these processes. If dishonest practices occur during the writing of an examination, each province has an Irregularities Committee which assesses every case, decides on the prescribed sanction in terms of policy, and takes all the steps necessary to ensure that the irregularity concerned does not bring into question the integrity of the examination.

Once the examination is over, the National Examinations Irregularities Committee (NEIC) meets under an independent Chair (usually an advocate) to decide on appropriate sanctions and to ensure that the integrity of the qualification is not threatened. Together with other entities, the SAOU serves on this Committee and can formulate its own conclusions about the irregularities.

During the 2024 examination, the frequency of irregularities declined significantly, and the SAOU was of the opinion that the integrity of that examination was not compromised. The 2025 marking process will commence shortly, and it can be expected that there will be fewer irregularities than in the previous year.

The marks for every subject are captured on a computer under strict supervision, and these marks are compared with those over the past five to eight years. The marks are submitted to the quality assurer, who, by law, has the right to adjust marks, should there be a good reason to do this. This is done by a statistical committee of Umalusi, which consists of statisticians from higher education institutes, and the proposed adjustments are discussed with representatives of the relevant examining bodies.

Teacher unions and higher education institutions are observers at these discussions, and the process is as transparent as possible, given its confidential nature. Over a period of years, the SAOU has been an observer of these processes and is convinced that there is transparency and that there are no deviations.

Once the marks have been finalised by the examining body in the light of the inputs of Umalusi, the Minister of Basic Education is in a position to announce the results of the examination. Once the announcement has been made, Umalusi is in a position to issue each candidate with a National Senior Certificate.

A statement of symbols and a certificate result from the examination. But this is not all that results. Opportunities for personal growth over the years, experience gained, progress from the first school years to this point are all life experiences of incalculable value. And no matter what the achievement in the final examination, these are all priceless experiences.

For now, it may be that the symbols obtained are important for a particular purpose. But life lies ahead, and experiences along the way will hopefully have strengthened many personal qualities which will be lifelong companions.

Two questions were asked above: Was all this hard work worth it? and is the qualification to be gained a credible one? The hard work was certainly worth it for each candidate. The qualification to be gained is indeed credible. The SAOU salutes all the role players involved in the process, especially the candidates, the schools and teachers, and the parents and parent communities. Well done to you all. May the future be a great success.

* Dr EH Davies is a consultant attached to the Professional Services of the SAOU.

** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media.

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