The matric class of 2013 has achieved a 78.2 percent pass rate, up 4.3 percent from 2012.
Gauteng achieved an 87 percent pass rate, bettering the province’s 2012 results of 83.9 percent by 3.1 percent.
The Free State claimed Gauteng’s position as top performing province in 2012 by achieving the highest provincial pass rate of 87.4 percent.
On 6 January Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that no individual district had performed below 50 percent and said there had been a significant improvement in the national results since 2009, which stood at 60.6 percent when she took over as minister. She also noted the pass rate had increased steadily in the last four years and 2013’s results were the best since 1994.
“The maths results, which are generally lower than other subjects in the matric exams, are the best set of results in five years. The 2013 maths pass rate of 59.1 percent is 5.1 percent higher than 2012’s results.”
The 2013 national exams were written by 562 112 pupils, the largest number to date. According to the Department of Basic Education, 9.1 million matric exam papers had been printed and 8.7 million were marked.
Overall, matriculants produced more than 67 000 distinctions and 551 schools achieved a 100 percent pass rate.
Allen Glen High achieved 132 distinctions in total. Principal Johan Wiehahn was proud of the school’s 95.88 percent pass rate, of which 44.63 percent passed with exemption.
“This is also an opportunity for us to see where we as educators can place more focus in the future,” he said.
Maragon Private School obtained 100 percent pass rate, with 85 percent exemption rate. The school’s top achiever, Liza McGeer, was in the top 1 percent of the IEB in the country.
King’s School also boasted a 100 percent pass rate with 45 distinctions and 89.5 percent exemption rate. Their top achiever, Nisea Coetsee, obtained seven distinctions and will be studying a BSc in biological sciences at the University of Pretoria.
Trinityhouse high school was pleased with the 192 distinctions achieved by their matriculants. Principal Christo de Wit congratulated the class of 2013 on their 100 percent pass rate, of which 96.72 percent were with exemption.
“Our students have once again shown that talent, combined with dedication and hard work truly does pay off,” he said.
Provincial pass rates are as follows: North West – 87.2 percent, Western Cape – 85.1 percent, KwaZulu-Natal – 77.4 percent, Mpumalanga – 77.6 percent, Northern Cape – 74.5 percent, Limpopo – 71.8 percent, Eastern Cape – 64.9 percent, and Gauteng – 87 percent.
