- A total of 15 180 candidates sat for the National Senior Certificate exams that were administered by the IEB.
- 88.59% of pupils passed with a Bachelor’s pass.
- Carlisle Hartman, a pupil at Cornwall Hill College in Pretoria, achieved 12 distinctions.
Matrics who wrote the 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams through the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) achieved an overall pass rate of 98.46%, which was slightly higher than the 98.42% in 2022.
A total of 15 180 pupils from South Africa’s private schools wrote the exams – 13 967 full-time and 1 213 part-time candidates – at 275 exam centres.
At least 88.59% of pupils who passed achieved a Bachelor’s pass compared to 89.32% in 2022, while 8.31% qualified for entry to diploma study compared to 7.52% in 2022.
A total of 17 new schools comprising 960 candidates sat for the IEB exams for the first time in 2023.
The IEB said the 2023 exam was conducted free of any irregularity that might have undermined the integrity of the exam.
IEB CEO Confidence Dikgole said along the pupils’ five-year journey, “there may have been interruptions and challenges – notably the significant disruption to teaching and learning brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic – but for the most part, we do believe that this cohort were well placed to succeed in the 2023 NSC examination session”.
She added the impressive performance of the class of 2023 amid these challenges reflected the dedication and tenacity of both pupils and the entire teaching community.
The IEB said the 2023 exam was conducted free of any irregularity that might have undermined the integrity of the exam.
IEB CEO Confidence Dikgole said along the pupils’ five-year journey, “there may have been interruptions and challenges – notably the significant disruption to teaching and learning brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic – but for the most part, we do believe that this cohort were well placed to succeed in the 2023 NSC examination session”.
She added the impressive performance of the class of 2023 amid these challenges reflected the dedication and tenacity of both pupils and the entire teaching community.
IEB 2023 National Senior Certificate Examinations.
Graphic by Sharlene Rood/News24
“What, however, is not often talked about, is the tremendous pressure brought to bear on learners by society.
“Schools’ experiences with young people points to the escalating mental health issues, which is perhaps one of the greatest challenges our youngsters face and does impact their ability to perform at their peak in a high-stakes examination.”
Dikgole said mental wellbeing was directly linked to the stress that society was placing on young people to perform, to get top results and secure spots in top tertiary institutions.
“The competition is huge, and this is a global issue, not just unique to the South African context.”
She added the IEB monitored the 2023 NSC examinations at all the 275 exam venues through real-time electronic video monitoring systems.
“Physical monitoring was also conducted at 114 examination centres.
IEB 2023 National Senior Certificate Examinations.
Graphic by Sharlene Rood/News24
“The purpose of monitoring the writing of the examinations is to ensure integrity and security of the examination process, and it also allows for the identification and resolution of any irregularities that could compromise the validity of the examination results,” Dikgole said.
Carlisle Hartman, a pupil who attended Cornwall Hill College in Pretoria, achieved 12 distinctions.
These were: Accounting, Afrikaans, English, German, Information Technology, Life Orientation, Maths, Physical Sciences, Further Studies Maths, Advanced Programme Physics, Alpha Maths and Ad Maths.
He said he started studying a week before the final exams and was able to do this “because I kept up to date throughout the year and prepared well for prelims”.
Although I studied rigorously for every final, I focused more on completing past papers, making sure to finish at least five papers for each subject. This adds up to about six to eight hours of studying every day.
Hartman added that taking relaxing breaks outdoors in between study sessions helped him to have longer study sessions.
“Ambition is my main motivation to work hard. I would like to make a difference in this world and all my actions are made in pursuit of this goal.
“It is equally important to maintain my mental health. Therefore, I would say dreaming big while maintaining a balanced lifestyle is my recipe for success.”
He said he had to give up playing cricket as it was too time consuming. “I deleted all forms of social media to allow me to focus on what’s important.
“However, maintaining strong friendships remained central to me.
“The occasional padel or squash game paired with regular social gatherings allowed me to have some fun and maintain a balanced lifestyle.”
Hartman is planning to study computer engineering at the University of Pretoria (UP).
IEB top achieving schools.
Graphic by Sharlene Rood/News24
“I will be following in my brother and sister’s footsteps who have both completed computer engineering courses at UP.”
He said his parents’ unwavering support helped him enormously to continue to work hard even through times of low motivation.
“My parents do not place any pressure on me to perform and are always proud of my achievements.”
Hartman has played cricket, rugby and hockey since primary school and also participated in athletics.
Meanwhile, another assessment body, the SA Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI) said it recorded a 72% pass rate in the NSC exams in 2023, which was the same as the 2022 rate.
A total of 5 826 candidates registered for the exams and the cohort obtained 1 655 Bachelor passes, 1 171 diploma passes and 427 higher certificate passes.
SACAI candidates achieved a total of 1 838 distinctions in 2023 compared to 1 302 in 2022, an increase of 41%.
IEB 2023 National Senior Certificate Examinations.
Graphic by Sharlene Rood/News24
The top candidate was a pupil from UCT Online High School followed by a candidate from Auxilio Learning Academy and Optimi.
Nine of the top 10 candidates came from distance education institutions.
Matrics who wrote at government schools will get their results on Friday morning.
© News24