Eastern Cape matrics rewrite old accounting paper in exam blunder

It’s that time of the year again, and matric pupils are preparing for the all-important final exams of their school careers.

As part of the preparations, pupils sit for preliminary exams, a teaser of what they can expect from the final paper.

Visit The Citizen’s matric portal to view your results and see who South Africa’s top performers are.

But on Monday morning, matric accounting pupils sat down to the same paper taken by last year’s class in their final examinations. Many pupils would have already used last year’s paper to prepare for this exam, and there are concerns this blunder will have serious ramifications.

“When the same paper is used, the competency of these learners cannot be tested properly,” said Democratic Alliance (DA) Eastern Cape shadow education MEC Yusuf Cassim.

It may also impact the outcomes of university applications.

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“This exam will indeed have to be rewritten, which will cause further unnecessary stress and anxiety for learners who are already having to cope with preliminary examinations during an already stressful Covid-19 pandemic,” added Cassim.

Organising the rewrite will also add strain to the logistics schools have to contend, particularly in relation to Covid-19.

The party is calling for the matter to be investigated. 

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