Umalusi, South Africa’s education quality assurance body, confirmed the approval of the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam results during a press briefing on Monday morning. A total of 832,993 public school candidates sat for their NSC exams in 2024, covering 150 subjects nationwide.
Matric Results Release Date
The matric results will officially be released to candidates on 14 January 2025, following an announcement by the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, on Monday evening.
Umalusi’s CEO, Mafu Rakometsi, announced:
I would like to express my warmest, sincerest and heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2024. They are family and friends.
Quality Assurance Processes
All matric exams underwent Umalusi’s rigorous quality assurance processes to ensure fairness and credibility. Between 19 December 2024 and 5 January 2025, Umalusi conducted standardization procedures to maintain consistency in matric performance over the years.
The organization confirmed that the assessments met the required standards and commended the Department of Basic Education for addressing potential challenges, including:
- Marker shortages
- Loadshedding concerns
- Protests that could have disrupted the exams
Umalusi reported a significant drop in group-copying cases, decreasing from 945 cases in 2023 to 407 cases in 2024. The Umalusi CEO said:
Umalusi remains seriously concerned that Kwazulu-Natal and Mpumalanga are once again at the top of the list.
Matric Exam Results
Out of all the registered candidates for the October/November matric exams, 810,900 students wrote the exams, while the remaining candidates were absent. These absences will be investigated.
The breakdown of candidates includes:
- 704,401 full-time candidates
- 106,499 part-time candidates
Exams were conducted across 6,933 exam centers nationwide.
Standardization of Results
Umalusi reviewed the matric results for 68 subjects submitted by the Department of Basic Education. Of these:
- 53 subjects retained their raw marks.
- 2 subjects underwent upward adjustments.
- 13 subjects underwent downward adjustments.
A year on year comparison of the DBE results show a clear pattern of an upward trend in the number of subjects for which raw marks are being accepted over the last 4 years. This is a very clear signal that the system continues to produce consistent and reliable results over time.
Umalusi is pleased to report that no cases of paper leakages or other irregularities were detected, ensuring the overall credibility and integrity of the 2024 matric examinations.