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- Umalusi has approved the 2022 National Senior Certificate examination results.
- While some irregularities were identified, Umalusi said it did not compromise the credibility and integrity of the results.
- The quality assurance body also confirmed there were no leaks of exam papers.
The 2022 matric results have been approved by Umalusi, the Quality Council for General and Further Education and Training.
This after its evaluation found there were no systemic irregularities that would compromise the credibility or integrity of the examination results.
Umalusi chairperson Professor Yunus Ballim announced on Monday the National Senior Certification (NSC) examinations administered by the SA Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI), Independent Examinations Board (IEB) and Department of Basic Education had been given the green light.
Approving the matric examination results paves the way for the minister of education to release the results.
Ballim said the department examinations were administered to 921 879 pupils across 6 907 centres throughout the country.
READ | It's a concern that some matric pupils are not able to write exams due to protest action - Umalusi
The department also presented 66 subjects for standardisation, in which raw marks were accepted for 47 subjects while upward adjustments were made for 16 subjects and downward adjustments were effected in three subjects.
Subjects given downward adjustments included economics, geography and IsiZulu home language, while subjects given upwards adjustments included history, tourism and mathematics.
Ballim said irregularities had been identified during the writing and marking of the department-administered examinations, but there was no evidence of exam papers being leaked.
Crib notes and WhatsApp group chats for cheating
Irregularities included pupils being caught cheating using crib notes and cellphones and in other instances, they were helping each other using a WhatsApp group chat.
Other irregularities included pupils being helped by invigilators.
Another issue Umalusi touched on was a problematic question in one of the mathematics papers.
"The panel evaluated the documents provided and interviewed the examiner/s, internal and external moderators, and language editors.
"Based on that, the finding of the panel is that the error in Mathematics Paper 2 November 2022 occurred at the last step in the chain of internal and external moderation; and language editing and typesetting processes," Umalusi CEO Dr Mafu Rakometsi said.
Despite these issues and irregularities, Ballim added the council concluded the examinations were administered largely in accordance with regulations pertaining to the conduct, administration, and management of the NSC examinations.
Ballim said:
"The executive committee of council therefore approves the release of the DBE [Department of Basic Education] November 2022 National Senior Certificate examinations results."
Meanwhile, 13 536 pupils wrote examinations administered by the IEB across 262 examination centres.
The IEB presented 61 subjects for standardisation of which 47 were accepted while 10 subjects were adjusted upwards, and four subjects adjusted downwards.
READ | Umalusi establishes panel of experts to investigate error in 'impossible' Maths Paper 2 question
While irregularities similar to those found in department examinations were discovered, Umalusi found the irregularities were not systemic and did not compromise the credibility of the examinations and therefore were approved by the council.
For the first time, SACAI also conducted and managed the 2022 examinations as a fully accredited assessment body.
It administered NSC examinations to 4 951 pupils.
SACAI also presented 25 subjects for standardisation in which raw marks were accepted for 15 subjects, while seven subjects were adjusted upwards and three downwards.
