Matric results ready, says department
THE 2013 matric examination results were ready to be released, the Department of Basic Education said on Saturday.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga would release the matric exam results on Monday, departmental spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said in a statement.
The results of 576,490 full time and 130,646 part time registered matriculants would be carried in newspapers, across various online media, via sms, and through the department's website.
Pupils could also visit their schools or examination centres to collect their results, Mr Mhlanga said.
Pupils who failed two or more subjects were eligible to register for supplementary examinations, which would take place in February, Mr Mhlanga said.
Pupils who wrote matric exams through the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) in 2013 achieved a 98.56% pass rate. The release of the IEB results on Tuesday indicated that the 10,166 pupils at 185 schools writing the exams in 2013 exceeded the previous year's pass rate of 98.2% and bested the 2010 pass rate of 98.53%.
Umalusi satisfied exams were secureEducation quality assurance council Umalusi approved the release of the 2013 national matric results in December, warning that despite a free and fair matric examination this year the quality of marking still posed a challenge in many subjects.
Umalusi council chairman Sizwe Mabizela said the council was satisfied that nothing had compromised the integrity or credibility of the examinations process.
Raw marks were accepted for 38 subjects, with five subjects moderated upwards and 16 subjects downwards after adjusting for the average performance of pupils in those subjects in previous examinations.
The council noted that the number of subjects in which raw marks were accepted meant that the "system has reached a significant level of maturity".
The setting and moderation of question papers had also stabilised, but "the quality of marking still poses a significant challenge in many subjects", said Prof Mabizela.
"In this regard we must reiterate our call that those who wish to mark exams should take a competency test on the subject they wish to mark," he said.
Last year's exams were not without controversy, with the dramatic arts paper causing a furore in November when pupils were asked to describe the symbolic rape of a baby using a loaf of bread and a broomstick.
The Department of Basic Education, which convened a group of experts to establish whether any pupils were disadvantaged by the question, found there was "no compelling evidence to confirm that learner responses from all provinces were adversely affected by the sensitivity of the question".
A concession was granted by Umalusi allowing marks to be adjusted to accommodate pupils who found the question offensive.
A total of 35,000 markers, working in 118 centres, had completed assessing the papers on December 15. With Karl Gernetzky and Sapa
http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2014/01/05/matric-results-ready-says-department