Matric exams: Here’s what will be written this week and what to do on your ‘gap day’

Monday, 28 October, marks the second week since the end-of-year matric exams began.

The exams started on 21 October and are set to conclude on 28 November for Independent Examinations Board (IEB) and National Senior Certificate (NSC) learners.

Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube revealed that 727,121 full-time and 155,215 part-time candidates would sit for the Gauteng Department of Education matric exam.

“That’s 882,336 candidates from across South Africa,” she said, adding that 16 400 IEB pupils would undertake the exams.

NSC exam schedule

Candidates on Monday morning wrote English (HL, FAL, SAL) Paper 1.

On the same day, matriculants are set to sit for Hindi, Gujarati, Telegu, and Urdu (HL, FAL, SAL) Papers 2 at 2pm.

At the same time, some candidates will also be writing Marine Sciences.

On Tuesday, History Paper 1 will be written at 9am. While Engineering Graphics and Design Paper 1 and French (SAL) Paper 2 will be written later in the day at 2pm.

Moreover, Home Language Paper 3 exams will be written on Thursday and Friday.

See the full NSC final exam timetable below:

2024 NSC Timetable by oratile on Scribd

ALSO READ: Inmates prepared for NSC exams, says Correctional Services

IEB exam schedule

For IEB scholars, the week started with Business Studies in the morning. IEB pupils only have one Business Studies paper, as compared to public schools, with papers 1 and 2.

History Paper 1 will be written on Tuesday at 9am, and French SAL Paper 2 will be written in the afternoon.

On Wednesday, matrics will sit for Mathematics Literacy Paper 1 and Physical Sciences Paper 1 in the morning.

A religious holiday break will exempt learners from exams on Thursday.

Visual Arts and Sport and Exercise Science will be sat for on Friday, at 9am and 2pm respectively.

South African languages will be written in the fifth week of the exams.

See the full IEB final exam timetable below:

IEB Final Timetable 2024 by Oratile on Scribd

IEB Final Timetable 2024 by oratile on Scribd

ALSO READ: Matric Exams: ‘This is your moment to shine’, says Gwarube [VIDEO]

Study Hacks

• Use the Pomodoro Technique: Study in focused 25-minute increments, followed by a five-minute break.
• Create a “cheat sheet” with key terms and concepts. It is also advantageous to use the one-paper style as a cheat sheet. The one-paper method refers to writing everything you’ve studied on a single paper, from your memory. This method tricks your brain into taking in a lot of information faster and shorter than you would normally.
• Use music to your advantage: Listen to instrumental music or white noise to boost focus. Spotify, YouTube and or Apple Music usually have study playlists with the aforementioned sounds.
• Take breaks to move your body and refresh your mind.
• Use visual aids like diagrams, flowcharts, and infographics to simplify complex information.

Exam break day

NSC pupils will have a non-examination day as a break on Thursday.

The IEB students will have a religious holiday on Thursday.

Some learners may utilise this time to relax while those in some schools will conduct revision workshops.

Mapaseka Khanye, a Grade 12 teacher at Graceland Education Center said learners at her school will not have a gap day.

“At my school, we don’t have anything such as a gap day. So the reason why we are doing that is because we know our learners, when they are at home, they don’t study,” she said.

She said Graceland pupils would be at school till the end of exams.

This is a common practice throughout most public schools.

Khanye added that they kept their pupils at school during exams even on weekdays to ensure they prepared for their Monday papers.

“I think it’s a strategy that’s working very well for our school. I think that’s one of the reasons why we’re able to maintain good results,” said Khanye.

Those who will use the break as a study day should maximise it by creating a well-structured study schedule that divides the day into manageable blocks, alternating between different subjects to maintain focus and engagement.

During these study sessions, students should concentrate on practising past exam papers and addressing challenging topics identified from previous assessments.

However, maintaining balance is equally important. Pupils should ensure they get adequate sleep, take regular breaks, and maintain healthy eating habits.