IEB commends class of 2023

For more than five years, the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) has maintained a consistent 98%-plus matric pass rate and it is celebrating a 98.46% pass rate for the class of 2023, slightly higher than the 98.42% and 98.39% in 2022 and 2021 respectively.

The lowest recent pass rate was in 2020 (the class of Covid) with 98.07%, while the highest came in 2018 – 98.92%.

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According to the IEB, all candidates who passed the 2023 NSC examination achieved a pass that grants access to tertiary study at one of the three levels:

• 88.59% of the cohort achieved entry to degree study, compared to 89.32% in 2022;

• 8.31% qualified for entry to diploma study, compared to 7.52% in 2022; and

• 1.57% achieved entry for study at the higher certificate level, same as in 2022.

The IEB said 13 967 full-time and 1 213 part-time candidates (15 180) wrote the IEB National Senior Certificate examinations in October and November at 275 examination centres.

“This is more than the 12 580 full-time candidates and 945 part-time candidates [13 525] in 2022,” the IEB said.

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“The significant increase of 1 655 results from 17 new schools, comprising a total of 960 candidates, wrote the IEB for the first time in 2023. The 17 comprised of 12 brick-and-mortar schools and five online providers.”

Confidence Dikgole, chief executive of the IEB, said while the focal point was not on the pass rate but the quality of education and mental well-being of the pupils, “we continue to celebrate our pupils for maintaining the standard and tone, the teachers and parents as well”.

When asked what plans the board had to up the standard, Dikgole said they would continue doing what they have always done.

That, she said, “is engaging schools, setting the tone and setting the standard, which we expect all schools to then follow or live up to.

“We call principals’ meetings early in the year. Next Monday, we will start the roadshow in KwaZulu-Natal and take them through last year’s performance and the challenges in terms of the results.”

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“It’s a detailed exercise. We give an indication of what our expectations are, but don’t stop there.

“We have group and subject-specific conferences, and that’s where we meet our subject specialists, teachers, to go through the nitty-gritty detail of it all.”

The aim of this process was to delve deeper into the matter, “and not just glossing over and expecting schools to improve where they need to improve without really taking them through what is it that they need to improve on”.

Dr Mafu Rakometsi, chief executive of quality assurer Umalusi, commended the IEB for consistently running smooth exams and ensuring small numbers of irregularities.

Dikgole said the schools were trained to take accountability “and they will be held responsible because every year we do some sort of training – what we call invigilator training, where we read out the rules and regulations pertaining to administration of exams,” she said.

“We make it clear what the consequences would be for not complying. And so, schools do take this seriously.”

She said four “negligible” incidents had been highlighted by Umalusi, which would be taken seriously.