Nearly 100 000 candidates started writing their national exams (NSC) in the Western Cape this month, a much larger group than would ordinarily write during the November session. A total of 95 427 will write this month, compared to 64 465 for the same session last year.
The reason for this increase is that the May/June 2020 exam could not take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and was instead combined with the November session.
The total number of candidates writing this month are broken down as follows: . 54 741 are full-time matric learners . 10 544 part-time/repeat candidates . 19 286 May/June Senior Certificate candidates . 10 856 learners who were due to write supplementary exams this year following the 2019 NSC exams.
Eight subjects have just one candidate: Equine Studies, Latin Second Additional Language, Modern Greek Second Additional Language, IsiNdebele Home Language, Setswana First Additional Language, Sport and Exercise Science, UNISA Practical Music Grade 7 and Urdu First Additional Language.
Administering the NSC exams is difficult enough in an ordinary year, without the added complications of a combined session amid a global pandemic.
The following figures give a sense of the sheer scale of the task: . Candidates: 95 427 . Exam papers to be written: 137 . Exam centres: 512 . Invigilators appointed: 2 540 . Number of exam scripts to be marked: 1 000 000. Marking centres: 10 schools plus the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute . Markers: 2 964 . Mark checkers: 889 students The Western Cape Education Department has assured matrics preparations have been extensive, and exams were set to run smoothly for the class of 2020.
