Marking underway as NSC exams concludes

The Western Cape’s Education Department (WCED) said the greatest challenges faced during the 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam were load shedding and the SANTACO taxi strike.

This comes after the final exams for candidates comes to a close in the Western Cape.  Seven candidates rewrote the Computer Applications Technology (CAT) practical on Wednesday, and a candidate will write English First Additional Language Paper 1 on Thursday.

‘’While our practical exams on 25 and 26 October 2022 had a delayed start at some exam centres, candidates were still able to complete the exams successfully. Load shedding did not have a major impact on the written exams, as all venues are required to have sufficient natural light,’’ said Education MEC, David Maynier.

‘’The SANTACO taxi strike on 21 and 22 November 2022 affected 354 Life Sciences candidates and 415 Geography candidates. Due to excellent preparation by our schools, these candidates were either accommodated at an alternate exam centre or arrived slightly late but still had their full time allocation to write,’’ he added.

Maynier said despite the disruptions, neither of the candidates missed an exam.

‘’This is quite an achievement given that we had nearly 74 000 candidates writing 124 papers over seven weeks.’’

The MEC raised concerns over candidates cheating. The WCED reported 15 candidates breaking the rules by bringing cellphones into the exam room, and 14 reports of candidates allegedly bringing in unauthorised material or “crib notes”. Maynier said there was one report of alleged copying involving 2 candidates.

‘’Hearings are being conducted with these candidates, and they will have a fair chance to respond to the allegations. We hope that this will be a warning to next year’s candidates: our invigilators have sharp eyes, and they will not let any infringement of the rules slip.’’

Over 3 300 markers will be working at 11 marking centres ticking 870 000 scripts in the Western Cape until 22 December 2022.

‘’On the first two days of marking, intensive training is done to make sure that all markers are up to the same standard. It is an enormous task: We thank them for their diligence and commitment to ensuring that this exam session is fair and credible.’’

PICTURE: Pixabay

Basic Education minister, Angie Motskega will announce the national results on 19 January 2023, and the release of results to schools and candidates will take place the following day.

‘’To our matrics: Well done on getting through your exams. You’ve had a tough few years, and we are so proud of you for completing your exams. Now you can relax and let your hair down, but please do so safely and responsibly. We want every one of you to be able to celebrate when the results are released next year,’’ said Education MEC, David Maynier.

 

Done By: Mitchum George