National Senior Certificate

The National Senior Certificate or NSC is a high school diploma and graduate certificate of South Africa. This certificate is commonly known as the matriculation (matric) certificate, with grade 12 as the matriculation grade. The NSC, previously known as the Further Education and Training Certificate or FETC, replaced the Senior Certificate effectively in 2008, was phased in starting with grade 10 in 2006.

Curriculum

Students study at least seven subjects: each of the two compulsory official South African languages, either Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, Life Orientation, and three elective subjects. Students have the option of either taking the NSC (National Senior Certificate) or the NCV (National Certificate Vocational).

Standards

Subjects are taken on the same level – the earlier higher/standard grade split is obsolete. The three pass levels have different requirements. The higher certificate requires 40% or higher in the home language as well as in two other subjects and at least 30% in three other subjects. Students who pass the matric with a higher certificate level cannot enroll for a university degree nor a diploma at any institution of higher learning. The mean mark in any subject is approximately 55. Only a small proportion of candidates score an 'A' in any subject (from as little as 2% to a maximum of about 10% in subjects taken by highly select groups). A further 8 – 15% are likely to gain a 'B' and about 20 – 25% achieve a 'C' grade. The National Senior Certificate is a group certificate and records an aggregate mark.

Regulations

The Department of Basic Education is responsible for general educational policy to be implemented by nine provincial education departments and private providers such as the Independent Examinations Board (IEB). Nine provincial examination boards and three independent boards, of which the IEB is the biggest examine students. The IEB operates on a national level, catering primarily to independent schools.

Subject requirements

Students study at least 7 subjects: 4 compulsory and 3-4 optional. All subjects are set at one grade only and are no longer set at Higher or Standard Grade. Not all schools offer the full range of elective subjects as listed here. Each school may offer subjects specific to its academic orientation. For example, agriculture schools will offer agriculture-oriented subjects whereas technical schools will offer practical and mechanical-oriented subjects.

Group A: Fundamentals (Compulsory)

Learners must study 4 compulsory subjects:

  • Two of the official languages of South Africa:
    • Afrikaans
    • English
    • Indebele
    • Northern Sesotho
    • Southern Sesotho
    • Swazi
    • Tsonga
    • seTswana
    • Venda
    • isiXhosa
    • isiZulu
  • Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy or Technical Mathematics
  • Life Orientation

Group B: Electives

Learners must also study at least 3 subjects from the following:

  • Accounting
  • Agricultural Management Practices
  • Agricultural Sciences
  • Agricultural Technology
  • Business Studies
  • Civil Technology
  • Computer Applications Technology (previously Computer Studies Standard Grade - Literacy)
  • Consumer Studies
  • Dance Studies
  • Design
  • Dramatic Arts
  • Economics
  • Electrical Technology
  • Engineering Graphics & Design
  • Geography
  • History
  • Hospitality Studies (previously Home Economics)
  • Information Technology (previously Computer Studies Higher Grade - Programming)
  • Life Sciences (previously Biology)
  • Mechanical Technology
  • Music
  • Physical Science
  • Religion Studies
  • Second Additional Language
  • Third Additional Language
  • Tourism
  • Visual Arts

Question paper

Life Orientation (colloquially abbreviated as "LO") has been introduced into the senior high school phase as an examination subject and is designed to cover non-academic skills needed in everyday life such as:

  • World of Work, helping learners find guidance in their choice of career and prepare them for the working world
  • Health Education, topics such as sex education, HIV/Aids talks, pregnancy, etc.
  • Physical Education, physical exercise and training (done on a separate basis but eventually forms part of the Life Orientation mark)
  • Religious Education, helps guide students on their paths toward choosing a nationally required faith (as mandated by the South African Schools Act). Students may request to be exempted from classes about specific religions, i.e. Bible Studies; those who do so remain obligated to attend the general Religious Studies class.
  • Citizenship and Responsibility, explain to students their rights and duties as citizens.

Assessment

There are three types of subjects:

General Subjects
  • An end-of-year examination: 75% of the total mark
  • Portfolio (Continuous Assessment): 25% of the total mark

Practical Subjects
  • An end-of-year examination: 50% of the total mark
  • Portfolio (Continuous Assessment): 25% of the total mark
  • Practical component: 25% of the total mark

Language Subjects
  • An end-of-year examination: 50% of the total mark
  • Portfolio (Continuous Assessment): 25% of the total mark
  • Oral Examination: 25% of the total mark

Continuous Assessment (CASS) includes all the tests, examinations, tasks, activities, orals and projects done throughout the year. Results are usually out of 400 marks.

Level system (1 to 7)
  • Level 7: 80 - 100% (Outstanding achievement)
  • Level 6: 70 - 79% (Meritorious achievement)
  • Level 5: 60 -69% (Substantial achievement)
  • Level 4: 50 - 59% (Moderate achievement)
  • Level 3: 40 - 49% (Adequate achievement)
  • Level 2: 30 - 39% (Elementary achievement)
  • Level 1: 0 - 29% (Not achieved - Fail)

Language compensation

Language compensation attempts to adjust for the difficulties faced by students whose mother tongue is neither English nor Afrikaans. It is described by several sources:

"To the final mark is added the language compensation, which is 5% of the mark attained by the candidate for all non-language subjects, for candidates whose mother tongue is not English or Afrikaans. The 5% compensates learners for the disadvantage suffered by these candidates being instructed in a language that is not their mother tongue." [Written reply to a parliamentary question in 2011 [1]]

"The compensation applies to learners whose first language is neither English nor Afrikaans and who offer an African language as their first language. They receive an additional 5% on their non-language subjects. The measure was first introduced in 1999 by the South African Certification Council." [Written reply to a parliamentary question in 2007,[2]]

Dr. Sizwe Mabizela, Chairperson of Council, Umalusi has provided a further explanation:[3] "This is the most misunderstood concept in this country. In terms of the policy on language compensation, learners who offer an African language as Home Language and do not offer Afrikaans or English as Home language qualify for a 5% language compensation on the mark they have obtained in a non-language subject. For example a learner who obtains a mark of zero (0) out of 300 will obtain 5% of zero (which is zero) for language compensation; a learner who obtains 10 out of 300 will receive 5% of 10, which is 0,5 marks, for language compensation; a learner who obtains 100 out of 300 marks will obtain an additional 5 marks for language compensation."

This kind of compensation impacts pass rates, but provides a significant impact at the upper end of the scale, affecting those applying for admission to university. For example, a qualifying learner obtaining 95% would receive 95 x 1.05 = 99.75% (which rounds to 100%). A learner obtaining 40% would receive 40 x 1.05 = 42.0%.

University entrance

In addition to minimum grades required in each subject, universities either set their entrance tests and/or use the National Benchmark Tests (NBT).[4] To study for a bachelor's degree at a South African university requires that the applicant has at least an NSC endorsed by Umalusi, with a pass of 30% in the chosen university's language of learning and teaching, as well as a level 4 or higher in the following list of designated, 19-credit subjects:[5]

  • Accounting
  • Agricultural Sciences
  • Business Studies
  • Dramatic Arts
  • Economics
  • Electrical Technology
  • Engineering Graphics and Design
  • Geography
  • History
  • Consumer Studies
  • Information Technology
  • Languages (one language of learning and teaching at a higher education institution and two other recognized language subjects)
  • Life Sciences
  • Mathematics
  • Mathematical Literacy
  • Music
  • Physical Sciences
  • Religion Studies
  • Visual Arts

See also

References
  1. SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION 757, DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 11/03/2011 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2011)
  2. SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: WRITTEN REPLY TO QUESTION 469, DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 26-03-2007 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO.: 10-2007)
  3. Politics web, 3 January 2011, "Umalusi explains matric mark adjustments", Dr. Sizwe Mabizela, 03 January 2011
  4. "National Benchmark Test Project |". nbt.ac.za. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-08-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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