Notes on South Africa’s Student Examination Results

Marcia Zali:

nder the difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic the Independent Examination Board class of 2021 achieved a marginal increase in the matric pass rate moving from 98% in 2020 to 98.39%.

Out of the 12 857 full-time and 968 part-time candidates who wrote exams, 89.2% qualified to study towards a bachelor’s degree at university, 7.82% qualified to study towards a diploma, and 1.37% achieved entry to study for a higher certificate.

The IEB’s chief executive, Anne Oberholzer, said the increased pass rate was an indication of the resilience and dedication of the class of 2021, which had to adjust to a new way of learning in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Oberholzer said in a press release that the use of technology, which can no longer be ignored, has proven to be a valuable tool in classrooms.