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Polokwane - Thousands of Limpopo matrics will rewrite their Life Sciences exam after the paper was leaked predominantly via mobile messaging app, WhatsApp.
The pupils are mostly in Limpopo's Vhembe district.
"A total of 15 960 full-time and 1 540 part-time candidates will write the Life Sciences examination," said department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.
"The department hopes to send out a clear message to learners and schools about the consequences of such malpractices."
The move comes after a task team, set up by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, said the leak would compromise the credibility of the exams. The exam was written on November 16.
The team was tasked with investigating the extent of the leak after pupils at Marude Secondary school in Mvudi circuit, Vhembe, were found in possession of Life Sciences Paper Two.
Said Mhlanga: "This decision [to rewrite] was taken after it was confirmed that a copy of the 2015 National Senior Certificate examination paper for Life Sciences was circulated amongst some learners before the commencement of the examination.
"This confirmed a compromise to the question paper."
To date, the investigation has revealed that:
- The leak has been confined to the five circuits in the Vhembe district, as well as five learners in Gauteng and two learners in Mpumalanga;
- At this stage it appears that Life Sciences Paper 1 and Life Sciences Paper 2 were shared with the implicated learners in the Vhembe district; mostly via WhatsApp.
- The learners in Gauteng and Mpumalanga had access to Life Sciences Paper 2 only and this was confined to a small number of learners who will be dealt with on an individual basis.
Mhlanga said the Life Sciences Paper 1 paper would be rewritten on December 4 and Paper 2 on December 8.
"The re-write covers the whole district, so that schools that might not have emerged during the preliminary investigations, but which are also tainted will be taken care of."
