Improving the quality of Basic Education has been articulated in the National Development Plan (NDP), Vision 2030, Our future – Make it work.

1. NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE
EXAMINATIONS
Results of the Class of 2019
Presidential Briefing
03 January 2020

2. Let’s grow
South Africa
together!
2

3. INTRODUCTION
3

4. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
“By 2030, South Africans should have access to education and
training of the highest quality, leading to significantly improved
learning outcomes. The performance of South African learners in
international standardised tests should be comparable to the
performance of learners from countries at a similar level of
development and with similar levels of access.”
National Planning Commission: National Development Plan, November 2011)
Improving the quality of Basic Education has been articulated in
the National Development Plan (NDP), Vision 2030, Our future –
Make it work.
4

5. ACTION PLAN 2019
In terms of Action Plan to 2019: Towards the realisation of
Schooling 2030, the output goals focussing on minimum
quality standards in the Further Education and Training
Band include:
• Increase the number of Grade 12 learners who become
eligible for a Bachelors programme at University;
• Increase the number of Grade 12 learners who pass
Mathematics; and
• Increase the number of Grade 12 learners who pass
Physical Science.
5

6. COUNCIL OF EDUCATION MINISTERS (CEM)
PRIORITIES FOR THE SIXTH ADMINISTRATION
(a) Improving foundational skills of Numeracy and Literacy,
especially Reading which should be underpinned by a Reading
Revolution.
(b) Immediate implementation of a curriculum with skills and
competencies for a changing world in all public schools (Three
Stream Model, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Entrepreneurship,
Focus Schools, etc ).
(c) Deal decisively with quality and efficiency through the
implementation of standardised assessments to reduce failure,
repetition, and drop out rates and introduce multiple
qualifications such General Education Certificate before the
Grade 12 exit qualification.
6

7. COUNCIL OF EDUCATION MINISTERS (CEM)
PRIORITIES FOR THE SIXTH ADMINISTRATION
(d) Urgent implementation of two years of ECD before
Grade 1, and the migration of the 0 - 4 year olds from
Social Development to Basic Education.
(e) Complete an Integrated Infrastructure Development
Plan informed by infrastructure delivery and regular
maintenance which is resourced.
(f) Work with Sport and Recreation, Arts and Culture, Health, and
South African Police Services to teach and promote Social
Cohesion, Health and School Safety.
7

8. INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE
(a) The National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination results is
one of the most important barometers to evaluate the
success of the sector.
(b) Progress in the sector has also been confirmed in the
international and regional assessment programmes.
(c) The establishment of the Systemic Evaluation Programme
will provide the DBE with performance trends in Grades 3, 6
and 9.
(d) The establishment of the General Education Certificate
(GEC) will provide a standardised assessment at the end of
Grade 9.
8

9. THE CLASS OF
2019
9

10. PROFILE OF THE CLASS OF 2019
(a) Sixth cohort to sit for the NSC based on CAPS.
(b) The Class of 2019 entered Grade 1 in 2008, when the
NSC was written for the first time at Grade 12.
(c) There has been a gradual improvement in the quality
of School Based Assessment over the last few
years.
(d) Strong emphasis on formative school based
assessment over the last few years.
(e) Standard and quality of Public Examinations is on an
ongoing improvement trajectory.
10

11. PROFILE OF THE CLASS OF 2019
(e) This cohort was impacted by the following key policy
changes:
• Policy on Progression (Sixth cohort).
• Policy on Multiple Examination Opportunity (MEO).
• Introduction of Sign Language Home Language in
2018.
• Introduction of Specialisation in the Technology
Subjects in 2018.
• Abolishment of the designated list of subjects in
2018.
11

12. Percentage of 5 & 6-year-olds attending an educational institution, 2002-2017
Source: Department of Basic Education, General Household Survey
(GHS): Focus on Schooling 2016
Language
Perceptual
Skills
Motor Skills
Basic
Numeracy
Problem-
solving
Self-
regulation
Executive
Functioning
LOVE OF
LEARNING
Foundation For
Lifelong Learning
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
12

13. LEARNER SUPPORT
FOR THE CLASS OF
2019
13

14. DRIVER OF LEARNER INTERVENTIONS: NSLA
• Ensure system-wide functionality (quantitative and
qualitative) geared towards strengthening efforts to improve
learning outcomes.
• Ensure a seamless delivery of quality learning and teaching
across the entire basic education system in a multi-
disciplinary approach.
• Ensure alignment between the province, districts and
schools in respect of monitoring and supporting the
improvement of learning outcomes.
14

15. LEARNER SUPPORT: KEY DRIVERS NSC
Increased
demands on
learners and
teachers
15
Width: more time required
for
learners of varied
cognitive levels
Affordability of
extra tuition
for most parents
go beyond the norm in
meeting
the increasing goals and
the targets
The
desire
to...

16. 3 WAVE LEARNER SUPPORT MODEL
16
Universal
Targeted
Specialist
Quality first teaching for all. Provision
of minimum LTSM for all. Universal
Teacher/ Time /Text
School based, teacher led support;
individualised/small group support;
additional lessons / exercises to
close identified gaps / accelerate
progress.
Intensive; Differentiated; Needs
Based; Data Driven support;
high focused intervention;
provincially driven
Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3

17. 17
Before / after
school
programmes
Supplementary
LTSM
Alternative ways of
grouping & teaching
Volunteer
teachers
(e.g. students)
Teacher content
training
Holiday / Vacation
classes
MODALITIES OF LEARNER SUPPORT
17

18. SUMMARY
• Vacation classes is the biggest learner support programme
benefitting ± 40% of the Class of 2019.
• The 2019 cohort received on average between 15 – 20
additional days (120 – 160 hours) of extra tuition across a
range of subjects.
• Targets a diverse set of learners e.g. progressed learners,
learners at risk / borderline learners as well as learners that
have the potential to achieve subject distinctions / bachelor
passes.
• Driven by intelligent data analysis and utilisation to provide
needs-based, differentiated and targeted learner support.
18

19. SIZE AND SCOPE OF
THE 2019 NSC
EXAMINATIONS
19

20. THE 2019 NSC EXAMINATIONS
FULL
TIME
617 429
PART TIME
170 954
QUESTION PAPERS
147
PRINTED
QUESTION
PAPERS
8 million
SCRIPTS
7,6
million
EXAMINATION CENTRES
6 872INVIGILATORS
65 000
MARKERS
41 000
MARKING CENTRES
141
20

21. NSC Full Time Enrolments: 2015 - 2019
21
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
667,925 674,652
629,155 624,733 616,754

22. Full-Time Enrolments: 2015 to 2019
Provinces Entered 2015 Entered 2016 Entered 2017 Entered 2018 Entered 2019
Difference
2019 - 2018
Eastern Cape 89 740 92 755 82 257 81 842 79 297 -2 545
Free State 35 209 28 901 27 723 29 209 30 041 832
Gauteng 112 064 112 164 108 522 107 166 111 188 4 022
KwaZulu-Natal 169 769 169 023 153 125 151 166 147 554 -3 612
Limpopo 102 618 110 639 100 041 96 840 93 932 -2 908
Mpumalanga 55 945 60 794 59 500 57 867 56 833 -1 034
North West 33 845 35 403 35 733 34 718 33 057 -1 661
Northern Cape 12 173 11 821 10 519 12 157 11 459 -698
Western Cape 56 562 53 152 51 735 53 768 53 393 -375
NATIONAL 667 925 674 652 629 155 624 733 616 754 -7 979
22

23. Provinces Entered Wrote Difference
Eastern Cape 79 297 63 198 16 099
Free State 30 041 25 572 4 469
Gauteng 111 188 97 829 13 359
KwaZulu-Natal 147 554 116 937 30 617
Limpopo 93 932 70 847 23 085
Mpumalanga 56 833 43 559 13 274
North West 33 057 26 819 6 238
Northern Cape 11 459 9 138 2 321
Western Cape 53 393 50 404 2 989
NATIONAL 616 754 504 303 112 451
2019 NSC Full Time Cohort
23

24. NSC PART-TIME ENROLMENT (2013 – 2019)
24
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
130,646
138,533
131,381
151,472
173,276 176,110
170,963

25. ENROLMENT IN TERMS OF GENDER
Provinces Male Female Male % Female %
Eastern Cape 35 512 43 785 44.8 55.2
Free State 13 475 16 566 44.9 55.1
Gauteng 50 024 61 164 45.0 55.0
KwaZulu-Natal 65 873 81 681 44.6 55.4
Limpopo 43 486 50 446 46.3 53.7
Mpumalanga 25 467 31 366 44.8 55.2
North West 15 059 17 998 45.6 54.4
Northern Cape 5 117 6 342 44.7 55.3
Western Cape 23 492 29 901 44.0 56.0
National 277 505 339 249 45.0 55.0
25

26. NSC SUBJECT ENROLMENT (2015 – 2019)
26
Subjects Entered 2015 Entered 2016 Entered 2017 Entered 2018 Entered 2019
Difference
2019 - 2018
Accounting 143 962 137 808 116 949 104 553 91 581 -12 972
Agricultural Sciences 106 183 113 119 109 713 108 794 107 068 -1 726
Business Studies 254 187 248 730 226 506 216 217 211 134 -5 083
Economics 169 938 165 782 145 876 133 198 125 536 -7 662
English FAL 554 565 564 814 525 061 515 937 506 050 -9 887
Geography 310 300 321 829 308 347 308 014 310 705 2 691
History 158 451 165 294 160 133 167 289 178 963 11 674
Life Sciences 355 614 368 191 354 936 351 377 345 209 -6 168
Mathematical Literacy 398 632 389 163 355 004 342 976 349 338 6 362
Mathematics 269 253 285 406 278 224 270 516 256 338 -14 178
Physical Sciences 197 047 204 695 199 276 193 869 186 366 -7 503

27. NSC 2018/19 PROGRESSED LEARNERS
27
Province
2018 2019
Difference
NoProgressed
TotalEntered
%Progressed
NoProgressed
TotalEntered
%Progressed
Eastern Cape 16 708 81 842 20.4 17 007 79 297 21.4 299
Free State 6 588 29 209 22.6 6 765 30 041 22.5 177
Gauteng 15 692 107 166 14.6 17 038 111 188 15.3 1 346
KwaZulu-Natal 36 186 151 166 23.9 33 069 147 554 22.4 -3 117
Limpopo 24 858 96 840 25.7 20 961 93 932 22.3 -3 897
Mpumalanga 14 409 57 867 24.9 15 853 56 833 27.9 1 444
North West 8 162 34 718 23.5 8 549 33 057 25.9 387
Northern Cape 2 647 12 157 21.8 2 778 11 459 24.2 131
Western Cape 3 384 53 768 6.3 3 671 53 393 6.9 287
National 128 634 624 733 20.6 125 691 616 754 20.4 -2 943

28. CANDIDATES ENROLLED/WROTE (PART TIME): 2016 - 2019
2016 2017 2018 2019
Province Name
Total
Entered
Total
Wrote
Total
Entered
Total
Wrote
Total
Entered
Total
Wrote
Total
Entered
Total
Wrote
Eastern Cape 20 847 13 819 22 754 14 335 22 263 13 314 21 166 11 839
Free State 3 775 2 430 4 653 3 150 5 792 3 558 6 404 3 772
Gauteng 42 025 32 675 42 066 32 060 44 057 33 191 42 787 30 248
KwaZulu-Natal 37 915 25 862 44 198 27 677 40 992 25 343 37 016 20 564
Limpopo 21 124 15 421 27 853 20 251 29 483 21 118 31 998 20 114
Mpumalanga 7 189 4 996 9 462 6 363 13 177 8 451 14 068 8 606
North West 3 884 3 164 4 597 3 655 5 651 4 232 6 281 4 370
Northern Cape 1 988 1 132 3 678 1 912 2 203 1 448 2 079 1 288
Western Cape 12 633 7 162 14 015 7 820 12 492 7 006 9 164 5 584
National 151 380 106 661 173 276 117 223 176 110 117 661 170 963 106 385
28

29. SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION LEARNERS BY PROVINCE
29
ProvinceName
ANXIETY
ATTENTIONDEFICITDI
ATTENTIONDEFICITHY
AUTISM
BIPOLAR
BLIND
CELEBRALPALSY
CHRONIC
CONDUCTDISORDER
DEAF
DEPRESSION
DYSCALCULIA
DYSGRAPHIA
DYSLEXIA
EPILEPSY
HARDOFHEARING
LANGUAGEDISORDER/A
LEARNINGDISABILITY
MENTALILLNESS
MILDINTELLECTUALDI
OTHER
PARTIALLY|SIGHTED
PHYSICALDISABILITY
SEVEREINTELLECTUAL
SOCIALCOMMUNICATION
SPEECHSOUNDDISORDE
TOTAL
EC
8 8
FS
1 10 9 1 3 1 1 1 19 1 8 13 13 6 4 91
GP
48 2 10 7 2 3 5 327 34 5 37 480
KZ
5 8 1 1 7 1 2 2 12 11 10 1 11 2 12 6 1 93
LP
0
MP
5 8 13 1 2 2 90 9 3 3 136
NC
1 1 5 5 10 2 24
NW
1 7 2 3 12 2 2 7 2 38
WC
9 62 43 17 5 14 11 4 18 23 253 290 5 10 409 10 24 17 12 149 1 385
NAT
10 77 65 18 2 62 19 22 23 25 3 58 253 324 15 17 13 779 10 24 136 68 73 4 4 151 2 255

30. Province Name Active Inactive Provincial
EASTERN CAPE 12 457 51 996 64 453
FREE STATE 4 453 18 249 22 702
GAUTENG 17 046 50 270 67 316
KWAZULU-NATAL 29 023 89 785 118 808
LIMPOPO 13 991 66 399 80 390
MPUMALANGA 9 521 36 885 46 406
NORTH WEST 5 141 20 633 25 774
NORTHERN CAPE 1 761 7 133 8 894
WESTERN CAPE 7 469 22 962 30 431
NATIONAL 100 862 364 312 465 174
Social Grant Enrolments
30

31. CORRECTIONAL SERVICES – FULL TIME
31
Province Name Total Entered Total Wrote Total Entered Total Wrote
FULL -TIME PART-TIME
WESTERN CAPE 13 11 2 1
EASTERN CAPE 29 29 9 3
KWAZULU-NATAL 45 34 13 9
MPUMALANGA 15 14 1 1
GAUTENG 6 5 27 20
NORTH WEST 15 15 0 0
LIMPOPO 0 0 56 49
NORTHERN CAPE 0 0 11 11
TOTAL 123 108 119 94

32. Age of Grade 12 learners per Gender
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
0.21
7.56
17.81
10.54
6.22
3.42
1.84
0.95
0.44
0.22
0.11
0.07
3.46
11.67
9.31
6.78
4.35
2.51
1.29
0.56
0.22
0.09
Percentages
Ages
Female % Male %
32

33. Comparison of Age Categories: 2018 - 2019
1300
51300
101300
151300
201300
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
2018 2019
33

34. STANDARDISATION
34

35. STANDARDISATION OF NSC RESULTS: 2008-2019
Year Subjects Raw marks
Accepted
Adjusted
downwards
Adjusted
upwards
2008 55 30 (55%) 4 21
2009 58 43 (74%) 5 10
2010 58 39 (67%) 10 9
2011 56 45 (80%) 8 3
2012 60 49 (82%) 6 6
2013 59 38 (64%) 16 5
2014 58 35 (60%) 7 16
2015 59 29 (49%) 0 30
2016 58 26 (45%) 4 28
2017 58 38 (66%) 4 16
2018 67 39 (58%) 11 17
2019 67 47 (70%) 7 13
35

36. HISTORICAL
TRENDS
36

37. THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES
PASSING MATRIC SINCE 1970
37
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
1970 1990 2000 2009 2019
43,000
191,000
283,294
343,718
409 906

38. NSC PERFORMANCE 2013 - 2019
38
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
78.2 75.8
70.7 72.5
75.1
78.2
81.3

39. OVERALL NATIONAL
RESULTS - 2019
39

40. PERFORMANCE OF THE CLASS OF 2019
Province
2018 2019
%Difference
TotalWrote
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
Ranking
TotalWrote
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
Ranking
EASTERN CAPE 65 733 46 393 70.6 8 63 198 48 331 76.5 8 5.9
FREE STATE 24 914 21 806 87.5 2 25 572 22 602 88.4 1 0.9
GAUTENG 94 870 83 406 87.9 1 97 829 85 342 87.2 2 -0.7
KWAZULU-NATAL 116 152 88 485 76.2 6 116 937 95 017 81.3 5 5.1
LIMPOPO 76 730 53 254 69.4 9 70 847 51 855 73.2 9 3.8
MPUMALANGA 44 612 35 225 79.0 5 43 559 34 995 80.3 6 1.4
NORTH WEST 29 061 23 578 81.1 4 26 819 23 272 86.8 3 5.6
NORTHERN CAPE 9 909 7 264 73.3 7 9 138 6 990 76.5 7 3.2
WESTERN CAPE 50 754 41 350 81.5 3 50 404 41 502 82.3 4 0.9
NATIONAL 512 735 400 761 78.2 504 303 409 906 81.3 3.1
40

41. NSC PASSES
BY
QUALIFICATION TYPE
41

42. NSC PASSES BY TYPE OF QUALIFICATION, 2019
Province
TotalWrote
Bachelor Diploma Higher Certificate NSC
Achieved
%
Achieved
Achieved
%
Achieved
Achieved
%
Achieved
Achieved
%
Achieved
Eastern Cape 63 198 20 419 32.3 17 816 28.2 10 055 15.9 40 0.1
Free State 25 572 9 992 39.1 8 555 33.5 4 051 15.8 0 0.0
Gauteng 97 829 43 494 44.5 29 616 30.3 12 193 12.5 1 0.0
KwaZulu-Natal 116 937 44 189 37.8 32 696 28.0 18 086 15.5 43 0.0
Limpopo 70 847 19 022 26.8 18 558 26.2 14 270 20.1 5 0.0
Mpumalanga 43 559 14 228 32.7 13 124 30.1 7 627 17.5 16 0.0
North West 26 819 9 964 37.2 8 677 32.4 4 628 17.3 0 0.0
Northern Cape 9 138 2 769 30.3 2 624 28.7 1 597 17.5 0 0.0
Western Cape 50 404 21 981 43.6 13 006 25.8 6 477 12.9 0 0.0
National 504 303 186 058 36.9 144 672 28.7 78 984 15.7 105 0.0
42

43. BACHELOR PASS TREND (PERCENTAGE): 2012 - 2019
43
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
26.6
30.6
28.3
25.8 26.6
28.7
33.6
36.9

44. BACHELOR PASS TREND (NUMBERS): 2012 - 2019
44
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
200,000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
136,047
171,755
150,752
166,263 162,374
153,610
172,043
186,058

45. BACHELOR PASS (NUMBERS)
PER PROVINCE 2019
45
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
44,189 43,494
21,981
20,419 19,022
14,228
9,992 9,964
2,769

46. BACHELOR PASS (PERCENTAGES) PER
PROVINCE 2019
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
44.5 43.6
39.1 37.8 37.2
32.7 32.3
30.3
26.8
46

47. BACHELOR ACHIEVEMENTS: 2018 AND 2019
Province
2018 2019
Number
Wrote
Number
Achieved
with
Bachelor
%
Achieved
with
Bachelor
Number
Wrote
Number
Achieved with
Bachelor
%
Achieved with
Bachelor
Eastern Cape 65 733 18 001 27.4 63 198 20 419 32.3
Free State 24 914 9 333 37.5 25 572 9 992 39.1
Gauteng 94 870 41 410 43.6 97 829 43 494 44.5
KwaZulu-Natal 116 152 38 571 33.2 116 937 44 189 37.8
Limpopo 76 730 17 999 23.5 70 847 19 022 26.8
Mpumalanga 44 612 13 199 29.6 43 559 14 228 32.7
North West 29 061 9 449 32.5 26 819 9 964 37.2
Northern Cape 9 909 2 589 26.1 9 138 2 769 30.3
Western Cape 50 754 21 492 42.3 50 404 21 981 43.6
National 512 735 172 043 33.6 504 303 186 058 36.9
47

48. TYPE OF PASSES PER QUINTILE (%)
2018 2019
Quintiles Q 1-3 Q 4-5 Q 1-3 Q 4-5
No of Bachelors 52.5 47.5 55.4 44.6
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Quintile 1 Quintile 2 Quintile 3 Quintile 4 Quintile 5
Bachelors 16.5 18.3 20.6 14.0 30.5
Diploma 21.3 22.1 24.0 14.5 18.2
H/Certificate 25.4 25.1 26.0 12.6 10.9
48

49. PROGRESSED
LEARNERS
49

50. PERFORMANCE OF THE CLASS OF 2019
(PROGRESSED LEARNERS EXCLUDED)
Province
2018 2019
% DifferenceTotalWrote
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
TotalWrote
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
EASTERN CAPE 61 958 44 262 71.4 59 045 45 618 77.3 5.8
FREE STATE 21 448 19 546 91.1 22 342 20 353 91.1 0.0
GAUTENG 89 276 79 471 89.0 91 256 80 802 88.5 -0.5
KWAZULU-NATAL 111 055 85 256 76.8 110 475 90 377 81.8 5.0
LIMPOPO 70 451 49 747 70.6 66 374 48 866 73.6 3.0
MPUMALANGA 40 538 32 590 80.4 39 126 31 783 81.2 0.8
NORTH WEST 26 191 21 946 83.8 24 134 21 191 87.8 4.0
NORTHERN CAPE 9 377 7 050 75.2 8 570 6 649 77.6 2.4
WESTERN CAPE 49 029 40 771 83.2 48 494 40 785 84.1 0.9
NATIONAL 479 323 380 639 79.4 469 816 386 424 82.3
50

51. PROGRESSED LEARNERS EXCLUDED
51
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
100.0 91.1 88.5 87.8
84.1 81.8 81.2
77.6 77.3
73.6

52. PERFORMANCE OF PROGRESSED
CANDIDATES ONLY
Provinces
Progressed Candidates
Entered
Wrote
(all 7 subjects) Achieved % Achieved
Eastern Cape 17 007 4 152 2 712 65.3
Free State 6 765 3 230 2 249 69.6
Gauteng 17 038 6 573 4 540 69.1
KwaZulu-Natal 33 069 6 462 4 640 71.8
Limpopo 20 961 4 473 2 989 66.8
Mpumalanga 15 853 4 445 3 216 72.4
North West 8 549 2 685 2 081 77.5
Northern Cape 2 778 568 341 60.0
Western Cape 3 671 1 910 717 37.5
National 125 691 34 498 23 485 68.1
52

53. ACHIEVEMENT TYPES OF PROGRESSED LEARNERS
ProvinceName
TotalWrote
AchievedBachelor
%AchievedBachelor
AchievedDiploma
%AchievedDiploma
AchievedH-Cert
%AchievedH-Cert
AchievedNSC
%AchievedNSC
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
EASTERN CAPE 4 152 384 9.2 1211 29.2 1109 26.7 8 0.2 2 712 65.3
FREE STATE 3 230 285 8.8 1051 32.5 913 28.3 0 0.0 2 249 69.6
GAUTENG 6 573 870 13.2 2 153 32.8 1 515 23.0 1 0.0 4 539 69.1
KWAZULU-NATAL 6 462 965 14.9 2 140 33.1 1 531 23.7 4 0.1 4 640 71.8
LIMPOPO 4 473 446 10.0 1 287 28.8 1 256 28.1 0 0.0 2 989 66.8
MPUMALANGA 4 445 569 12.8 1 482 33.3 1 165 26.2 0 0.0 3 216 72.4
NORTH WEST 2 685 276 10.3 932 34.7 873 32.5 0 0.0 2 081 77.5
NORTHERN CAPE 568 36 6.3 167 29.4 138 24.3 0 0.0 341 60.0
WESTERN CAPE 1 910 81 4.2 281 14.7 354 18.5 0 0.0 716 37.5
NATIONAL 34 498 3 912 11.3 10 704 31.0 8 854 25.7 13 0.0 23 483 68.1
53

54. % ACHIEVED PROGRESSED ONLY
54
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
77.5
72.4 71.8 69.6 69.1 66.8 65.3
60.0
37.5

55. SCHOOL PERFORMANCE BY
QUINTILES
55

56. SCHOOL PERFORMANCE BY QUINTILE - 2018
Quintiles
0 -
19.9%
20 -
39.9%
40 -
59.9%
60 -
79.9%
80 -
100%
Exactly
0%
Exactly
100%
Quintile 1 37 112 382 612 682 8 85
Quintile 2 28 104 321 555 708 3 70
Quintile 3 16 88 248 508 571 0 41
Quintile 4 2 6 36 198 375 0 38
Quintile 5 0 4 16 105 598 0 117
Total 83 314 1 003 1 978 2 934 11 351
56

57. SCHOOL PERFORMANCE BY QUINTILE - 2019
Quintiles
0 -
19.9%
20 -
39.9%
40 -
59.9%
60 -
79.9%
80 -
100%
Exactly
0%
Exactly
100%
Quintile 1 29 94 278 565 849 10 126
Quintile 2 15 75 183 530 884 4 122
Quintile 3 7 38 180 481 751 2 58
Quintile 4 1 5 23 180 408 0 36
Quintile 5 0 1 16 104 603 0 97
Total 52 213 680 1 860 3 495 16 439
57

58. SUBJECT PERFORMANCE
58

59. CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN SELECTED
SUBJECTS, 2015 – 2019 (AT 30% LEVEL)
Subjects 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Accounting 59.6 69.5 66.1 72.5 78.4
Agricultural Sciences 76.9 75.4 70.4 69.9 74.6
Business Studies 75.7 73.7 68.0 64.9 71.0
Economics 68.2 65.3 71.0 73.3 69.3
Geography 77.0 76.5 76.9 74.2 80.5
History 84.0 84.0 86.0 89.7 90.0
Life Orientation 99.7 99.7 99.8 99.7 99.8
Life Sciences 70.4 70.5 74.4 76.3 72.3
Mathematical Literacy 71.4 71.3 73.9 72.5 80.6
Mathematics 49.1 51.1 51.9 58.0 54.6
Physical Sciences 58.6 62.0 65.1 74.2 75.5
59

60. CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN SELECTED
SUBJECTS, 2015 – 2019 (AT 40% LEVEL)
Subjects 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Accounting 36.2 44.9 42.6 48.6 52.6
Agricultural Sciences 45.0 44.5 39.9 41.8 45.7
Business Studies 51.4 49.5 42.7 40.1 46.2
Economics 39.1 36.4 42.7 44.8 39.9
English FAL 81.5 82.5 83.1 82.1 85.4
Geography 50.4 48.1 50.1 46.7 53.3
History 63.2 64.3 67.5 72.6 74.0
Life Sciences 46.0 45.2 52.1 51.7 49.0
Mathematical Literacy 44.3 46.4 45.0 45.4 54.5
Mathematics 31.9 33.5 35.1 37.1 35.0
Physical Sciences 36.1 39.5 42.2 48.7 51.7
60

61. CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN
HOME LANGUAGES AT 40% LEVEL
61
2016 2017 2018 2019
Afrikaans 96.6 94.5 96.4 95.2
English 94.1 93.1 92.7 92.0
IsiNdebele 99.8 99.6 99.7 99.8
IsiXhosa 99.8 99.8 99.7 99.7
IsiZulu 98.8 98.9 98.8 99.2
Sepedi 98.9 98.6 98.6 98.2
Sesotho 99.4 99.4 99.4 99.3
Setswana 99.7 99.7 99.6 99.5
SiSwati 99.2 99.2 99.3 99.0
SA Sign Language - - 96.2 96.9
Tshivenda 99.9 99.8 99.9 99.9
Xitsonga 99.5 99.0 98.9 98.7

62. FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE AT 30%
LEVEL (2016 – 2019)
First Additional Language 2016 2017 2018 2019
Afrikaans First Additional
Language
90.0 93.0 93.9 96.0
English First Additional
Language
97.0 97.0 97.2 97.6
62

63. DISTRICT
PERFORMANCE
63

64. DISTRICT PERFORMANCE BY ACHIEVEMENT
INTERVAL AND PROVINCE: 2018
Province
Total
number of
Districts
2018
Below 50% 50% to 59.9% 60% to 69.9% 70% to 79.9% 80% & above
EC 12 0 1 4 7 0
FS 5 0 0 0 0 5
GP 15 0 0 0 0 15
KZN 12 0 0 0 11 1
LP 10 0 0 6 3 1
MP 4 0 0 0 3 1
NW 4 0 0 0 1 3
NC 5 0 0 0 4 1
WC 8 0 0 0 1 7
Total 75 0 1 10 30 34
64

65. DISTRICT PERFORMANCE BY ACHIEVEMENT
INTERVAL AND PROVINCE: 2019
Province
Total number
of Districts
2019
Below 50% 50% to
59.9%
60% to
69.9%
70% to
79.9%
80% and
above
EC 12 0 0 1 10 1
FS 5 0 0 0 0 5
GP 15 0 0 0 0 15
KZN 12 0 0 0 5 7
LP 10 0 0 5 2 3
MP 4 0 0 0 2 2
NW 4 0 0 0 0 4
NC 5 0 0 0 4 1
WC 8 0 0 0 1 7
Total 75 0 0 6 24 45
65

66. Top Ten Districts
ProvinceName
DistrictName
TotalWrote
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
GAUTENG Tshwane South 9 727 9 073 93.3
GAUTENG Gauteng North 1 432 1 299 90.7
GAUTENG Tshwane North 5 924 5 365 90.6
FREE STATE Fezile Dabi 4 484 4 051 90.3
NORTHERN CAPE Namaqua 831 747 89.9
NORTH WEST Bojanala Platinum District 11 465 10 272 89.6
GAUTENG Sedibeng East 2 556 2 290 89.6
FREE STATE Xhariep 853 758 88.9
GAUTENG Ekurhuleni North 9 169 8 141 88.8
GAUTENG Johannesburg West 4 824 4 280 88.7
66

67. Bottom Ten Districts
ProvinceName
DistrictName
TotalWrote
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
EASTERN CAPE Sarah Baartman 2 484 1 850 74.5
LIMPOPO Mopani East 8 248 5 972 72.4
NORTHERN CAPE Pixley Ka Seme 1 210 875 72.3
EASTERN CAPE Chris Hani East 3 618 2 601 71.9
LIMPOPO Capricorn North 6 793 4 683 68.9
LIMPOPO Mogalakwena 3 457 2 373 68.6
LIMPOPO Sekhukhune South 7 127 4 876 68.4
LIMPOPO Mopani West 6 975 4 746 68.0
EASTERN CAPE Amathole West 3 068 1 986 64.7
LIMPOPO Sekhukhune East 6 707 4 228 63.0
67

68. SPECIAL NEEDS
EDUCATION
68

69. SNE LEARNERS BY QUALIFICATION TYPE
69
ResultStatus
ANXIETY
ATTENTIONDEFICITDI
ATTENTIONDEFICITHY
AUTISM
BIPOLAR
BLIND
CELEBRALPALSY
CHRONIC
CONDUCTDISORDER
DEAF
DEPRESSION
DYSCALCULIA
DYSGRAPHIA
DYSLEXIA
EPILEPSY
HARDOFHEARING
LANGUAGEDISORDER/A
LEARNINGDISABILITY
MENTALILLNESS
MILDINTELLECTUALDI
OTHER
PARTIALLY|SIGHTED
PHYSICALDISABILITY
SEVEREINTELLECTUAL
SOCIALCOMMUNICATION
SPEECHSOUNDDISORDE
TOTAL
A/BACH - Achieved -
Bachelors 6 52 52 12 2 39 8 16 13 7 2 20
13
4
22
2 8 9 5
44
3
1
0 5 71
3
6
3
1 1 2 75 1281
A/DIP - Achieved -
Diploma 4 19 10 4 21 8 6 8 6 28 87 72 6 6 4
25
1 1128
2
4
2
4 2 2 53 684
A/HC - Achieved - Higher
Certificate 6 3 2 2 2 2 1 7 31 18 1 4 74 6 9 6
1
6 21 211
A/NSC - Achieved - NSC 1 1
A/SNE - Achieved - SNE
NSC 2 1 10 3 1 12 1 11 2 28 2 2 1 2 78

70. PERFORMANCE OF PART-
TIME CANDIDATES
70

71. PERFORMANCE IN SELECTED SUBJECTS (PT): 2018 - 2019
Subjects (Part-Time)
2018 2019
Wrote
Achieved
30% &
Above
%
Achieved
Wrote
Achieved
30% & Above
%
Achieved
Accounting 14 261 5 121 35.9 11 264 4 193 37.2
Agricultural Sciences 9 965 4 466 44.8 10 061 4 283 42.6
Business Studies 23 446 7 479 31.9 22 811 7 766 34.0
Economics 17 946 6 502 36.2 14 926 4 439 29.7
Geography 26 866 10 556 39.3 26 475 11 905 45.0
History 5 921 3 393 57.3 4 843 2 860 59.1
Life Orientation 910 902 99.1 853 818 95.9
Life Sciences 44 351 21 226 47.9 40195 16306 40.6
Mathematical Literacy 53 530 21 721 40.6 32 686 14 635 44.8
Mathematics 34 097 13 487 39.6 45 405 15 918 35.1
Physical Sciences 40 639 20 241 49.8 32 904 14 694 44.7
71

72. DISTINCTIONS
72

73. DISTINCTIONS PER PROVINCE
Province Name Distinction Potential
Achieved
Distinctions
% Distinctions
EASTERN CAPE 507 994 15 745 3.10%
FREE STATE 202 391 6 284 3.10%
GAUTENG 744 634 37 422 5.03%
KWAZULU-NATAL 967 817 41 910 4.33%
LIMPOPO 594 404 13 312 2.24%
MPUMALANGA 376 477 8 576 2.28%
NORTH WEST 216 876 7 298 3.37%
NORTHERN CAPE 74 968 1 633 2.18%
WESTERN CAPE 363 800 24 704 6.79%
NATIONAL 4 049 361 156 884 3.87%
73

74. NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE OF DISTINCTIONS IN THE 12
KEY SUBJECTS: 2018 AND 2019
2018 2019
Subject Wrote
Achieved with
distinction
(80% -100%)
% with
Distinction
Wrote
Achieved with
distinction
(80% -100%)
% with
Distinction
Accounting 90 278 5 169 5.7 80 110 3 875 4.8
Afrikaans FAL 82 525 6 013 7.3 83 889 6 462 7.7
Agricultural Sciences 95 291 577 0.6 92 680 526 0.6
Business Studies 192 139 2 660 1.4 186 840 2 769 1.5
Economics 115 169 1 306 1.1 107 940 1 014 0.9
English FAL 498 959 7 064 1.4 489 072 7 787 1.6
Geography 269 621 2 934 1.1 271 807 2 752 1.0
History 154 536 7 656 5.0 164 729 8 702 5.3
Life Sciences 310 041 7 507 2.4 301 037 8 525 2.8
Mathematical Literacy 294 204 3 957 1.3 298 607 6 280 2.1
Mathematics 233 858 5 828 2.5 222 034 4 415 2.0
Physical Sciences 172 319 8 135 4.7 164 478 7 763 4.7
74

75. PROGRESSED CANDIDATES DISTINCTIONS
Subject Total Wrote Distinctions % Distinctions
Accounting 7 538 7 0.1
Afrikaans First Additional Language 4 129 7 0.2
Afrikaans Second Additional Language 3 504 1 0.0
Agricultural Sciences 15 798 2 0.0
Business Studies 22 629 16 0.1
Computer Applications Technology 2 205 0 0.0
Dramatic Arts 1 657 1 0.1
Economics 14 461 3 0.0
Engineering Graphics and Design 3 219 3 0.1
English First Additional Language 108 831 24 0.0
French Second Additional Language 17 9 52.9
Geography 39 200 11 0.0
History 30 736 113 0.4
Information Technology 85 1 1.2
IsiNdebele Home Language 1 528 30 2.0
IsiXhosa Home Language 16 766 122 0.7
IsiZulu Home Language 36 364 117 0.3
Life Orientation 123 104 1249 1.0
Life Sciences 32 379 28 0.1
Mathematical Literacy 39 740 47 0.1
Mathematics 13 671 12 0.1
Physical Sciences 11 354 25 0.2
Sepedi Home Language 14 069 0 0.0
Sesotho Home Language 8 433 18 0.2
Setswana Home Language 12 203 11 0.1
SiSwati Home Language 5 555 4 0.1
Tourism 24 523 40 0.2
Tshivenda Home Language 6 307 228 3.6
Visual Arts 384 5 1.3
Xitsonga Home Language 5 619 0 0.0
75

76. SOCIAL GRANTS
76

77. Province Name
2019
Total Wrote Total Achieved %Achieved
EASTERN CAPE 59 428 37 809 54.60%
FREE STATE 21 532 16 461 63.10%
GAUTENG 79 305 48 750 51.00%
KWAZULU-NATAL 108 959 74 555 52.30%
LIMPOPO 76 178 43 109 51.40%
MPUMALANGA 41 533 27 474 53.30%
NORTH WEST 23 686 17 429 60.80%
NORTHERN CAPE 7 767 5 075 52.30%
WESTERN CAPE 31 810 21 488 54.60%
NATIONAL 450 198 292 150 53.20%
Social Grant Wrote & Achieved
77

78. Province Name
2019
Grand Total
Active Inactive
TotalWrote
Total
Achieved
%Achieved
TotalWrote
Total
Achieved
%Achieved
TotalWrote
Total
Achieved
%Achieved
EASTERN CAPE 11 557 9 122 70.40% 47 871 28 687 49.20% 59 428 37 809 54.60%
FREE STATE 4 182 3 767 85.40% 17 350 12 694 55.40% 21 532 16 461 63.10%
GAUTENG 16 878 14 671 79.00% 62 427 34 079 43.30% 79 305 48 750 51.00%
KWAZULU-NATAL 26 845 22 952 75.40% 82 114 51 603 44.90% 108 959 74 555 52.30%
LIMPOPO 13 191 10 510 71.00% 62 987 32 599 44.80% 76 178 43 109 51.40%
MPUMALANGA 8 568 7 150 74.70% 32 965 20 324 46.70% 41 533 27 474 53.30%
NORTH WEST 4 872 4 399 84.60% 18 814 13 030 52.90% 23 686 17 429 60.80%
NORTHERN CAPE 1 610 1 240 72.30% 6 157 3 835 45.70% 7 767 5 075 52.30%
WESTERN CAPE 7 338 6 139 79.20% 24 472 15 349 47.00% 31 810 21 488 54.60%
NATIONAL 95 041 79 950 75.60% 355 157 212 200 46.10% 450 198 292 150 53.20%
Social Grant Wrote & Achieved by Status
78

79. Social Grant Performance by Gender
Province Name
2019
Female Male
Total Achieved % Achieved Total Achieved % Achieved
EASTERN CAPE 20 946 53.40% 16 863 56.10%
FREE STATE 9 058 61.20% 7 403 65.40%
GAUTENG 27 954 49.70% 20 797 52.70%
KWAZULU-NATAL 42 139 51.50% 32 416 53.30%
LIMPOPO 22 832 49.20% 20 277 53.90%
MPUMALANGA 15 189 51.40% 12 285 55.50%
NORTH WEST 9 568 59.10% 7 861 62.80%
NORTHERN CAPE 2 798 49.10% 2 277 56.10%
WESTERN CAPE 12 801 53.00% 8 687 56.80%
NATIONAL 163 285 51.80% 128 866 55.00%
79

80. Province Name
2019
Grand Total
Care Dependency
Grant
Child Support
Grant
Combination Foster Care
Grant
TotalWrote
%Achieved
TotalWrote
%Achieved
TotalWrote
%Achieved
TotalWrote
%Achieved
TotalWrote
%Achieved
EASTERN CAPE 277 38.90% 53 027 56.80% 106 44.10% 6 008 47.50% 59 418 54.60%
FREE STATE 104 56.50% 19 029 64.90% 22 48.60% 2 367 58.10% 21 522 63.20%
GAUTENG 286 51.70% 73 793 52.00% 61 57.00% 4 903 42.60% 79 043 50.90%
KWAZULU-NATAL 689 47.30% 98 940 53.90% 127 50.30% 8 971 45.60% 108 727 52.30%
LIMPOPO 202 34.30% 71 444 53.70% 46 44.10% 4 457 40.10% 76 149 51.40%
MPUMALANGA 147 41.80% 38 685 54.90% 27 48.60% 2 650 45.20% 41 509 53.30%
NORTH WEST 123 50.00% 21 424 63.00% 22 36.40% 2 099 52.40% 23 668 60.70%
NORTHERN CAPE 89 47.10% 7 025 55.00% 31 61.80% 614 39.80% 7 759 52.20%
WESTERN CAPE 146 55.30% 29 887 54.80% 31 53.00% 1 510 49.00% 31 574 54.20%
NATIONAL 2 063 45.80% 413 254 54.80% 473 48.90% 33 579 45.60% 449 369 53.20%
Social Grant Wrote & Achieved by Grant Type
80

81. Province Name
2019
AchievedBachelor
AchievedDiploma
AchievedHigher
Certificate
AchievedNSC
Achieved
Endorsed
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
EASTERN CAPE 14 667 14 521 8 585 35 1 37 809 54.60%
FREE STATE 6 468 6 653 3 337 0 3 16 461 63.10%
GAUTENG 21 646 18 681 8 405 0 18 48 750 51.00%
KWAZULU-NATAL 32 451 26 778 15 282 42 2 74 555 52.30%
LIMPOPO 14 708 15 860 12 538 3 0 43 109 51.40%
MPUMALANGA 10 188 10 687 6 586 13 0 27 474 53.30%
NORTH WEST 6 757 6 785 3 884 0 3 17 429 60.80%
NORTHERN CAPE 1 651 2 067 1 357 0 0 5 075 52.30%
WESTERN CAPE 8 408 8 365 4 700 0 15 21 488 54.60%
NATIONAL 116 944 110 397 64 674 93 42 292 150 53.20%
Social Grant Performance by Achievement Category
81

82. CORRECTIONAL
SERVICES
82

83. CORRECTIONAL SERVICES – FULL TIME
83
Province Name Centre Name
TotalEntered
TotalWrote
Achieved
Bachelor
Achieved
Diploma
AchievedH-
Cert
AchievedNSC
Achieved
Endorsed
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
TotalNot
Achieved
WESTERN CAPE BRANDVLEI YOUTH CENTRE 13 11 5 4 0 0 0 9 81.8 2
EASTERN CAPE CRADOCK PRISON 23 23 15 8 0 0 0 23 100 0
EASTERN CAPE SADA SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE 6 6 2 2 1 0 0 5 83.3 1
KWAZULU-NATAL
QALAKABUSHA SECONDARY
SCHOOL 9 7 5 1 1 0 0 7 100 0
KWAZULU-NATAL EKUSENI SEC SCHOOL 12 10 5 1 4 0 0 10 100 0
KWAZULU-NATAL USETHUBENI YOUTH 24 17 14 2 1 0 0 17 100 0
MPUMALANGA UMLALATI LEARNING CENTRE 5 5 2 3 0 0 0 5 100 0
MPUMALANGA VUSELELA LEARNING CENTRE 10 9 2 1 4 0 0 7 77.8 2
GAUTENG
BAVIAANSPOORT EMTHONJENI
YOUTH CEN 6 5 2 2 1 0 0 5 100 0
NORTH WEST
THUTO-KITSO RUSTENBURG
CORR SERVICE 15 15 1 5 7 0 0 13 86.7 2
TOTALS 123 108 53 29 19 0 0 101 7

84. CORRECTIONAL SERVICES – PART TIME
84
Province Name Centre Name
TotalEntered
TotalWrote
AchievedBachelor
AchievedDiploma
AchievedH-Cert
AchievedNSC
AchievedEndorsed
TotalAchieved
%Achieved
TotalNotAchieved
EASTERN CAPE
CRADOCK PRISON PRIVATE
CENTRE 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
EASTERN CAPE SADA CORRECTIONAL NCS 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GAUTENG
JOHANNESBURG CORRECTIONAL
CENTRE 27 20 1 0 0 0 0 1 7.1 1
KWAZULU-NATAL
QALAKABUSHA SECONDARY
SCHOOL 10 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
KWAZULU-NATAL USETHUBENI YOUTH 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
LIMPOPO THUSANO REPEAT PART-TIME 56 49 3 9 9 0 0 21 56.8 19
MPUMALANGA UMLALATI LEARNING CENTRE 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NORTHERN CAPE
TSWELOPELE SECONDARY
SCHOOL 11 11 9 1 0 0 0 10 75 1
WESTERN CAPE BRANDVLEI YOUTH CENTRE 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 119 94 13 10 9 0 0 32 138.9 21

85. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS
IN TERMS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
PRINCIPLES
85

86. SUMMARY
a) The results from the 2019 NSC examination confirms that the “The System is
on a Rise.”
b) This is confirmed by the overall improvement in access, redress, equity,
efficiency and quality.
Access
a) A total of 787 717 candidates enrolled to write this examination.
b) Increase in part-time enrollment from 2013, an increase of 39 719 to 170
963.
c) 409 906 candidates attained a NSC, an increase of 3.1% from 2018.
d) Increase in the percentage of learners achieving admission to Bachelor
studies from 33.6% to 36.9% (13 846 more candidates compared to
2018).
e) 11 184 Senior Certificate (SC) candidates wrote the November
examination for the first time.
86

87. SUMMARY
Redress
a) 249 162 candidates from “no-fee” schools obtained a NSC
compared to 141 475 from “Fee paying” schools.
b) 2 484 of the “no-fee” schools achieved above 80% pass
rate.
c) 306 of the “no fee” schools attained a 100% pass rate.
d) 96 976 of the admission to Bachelor studies come from
“no-fee” schools, compared to 78 037 from “fee-paying”
schools.
e) 23 483 (68.1%) of the progressed learners that wrote all
seven subjects obtained the NSC.
87

88. SUMMARY
Equity
a) 339 249 girls, compared to 277 505 boys entered the NSC
examination (61 744 more girls than boys).
b) 224 906 girls, compared to 185 000 boys, passed the 2019
NSC examinations.
c) 103 310 girls attained admission to Bachelor Studies
compared to 82 748 boys.
d) 63.8% of the distinctions were attained by girls, including
distinctions in critical subjects such as Accounting, Business
Studies, Economics, Mathematics, and Physical Science.
88

89. SUMMARY
Quality
a) Improvement in the performance of key subjects at the 30% level –
Accounting, Mathematical Literacy, Physical Science, Business Studies,
Geography, History, Agricultural Sciences and English First Additional
Language.
b) Improvement in Physical Science from 48.7% to 51.7%.
c) 186 058 learners achieved admission to Bachelor studies, which is
equivalent to 36.9%.
d) 330 730 candidates (65.6%), who achieved admission to Bachelor and
Diploma studies, are eligible to register for studies at higher education
institutions.
e) All of the 75 districts performing above 60%.
f) 45 of the 75 districts performing above 80%.
89

90. SUMMARY
Efficiency
a) 23 483 (68.1%) of the progressed learners that wrote
all seven subjects obtained the NSC.
b) Progressed learners attained 2 134 of the distinctions,
even in gateway subjects.
c) 87.5% of the learners with special education needs,
who wrote the 2018 NSC examinations, passed.
d) 1 277 distinctions were achieved by the learners with
special education needs.
90

91. SUMMARY
Inclusivity
a) Offered the second examination in Sign language to
102 learners.
b) A total of 2 576 learners with special needs wrote the
NSC examination and 2 255 learners attained the
NSC.
c) 1 281 learners with special needs attained admission
to Bachelor Studies, 684 achieved admission to
Diploma Studies and 211 achieved admission to
Higher Certificate Studies.
91

92. CONCLUSION
92

93. CONCLUSION
a) The system is on a rise and this is confirmed by the overall
improvement in performance in 2019.
b) The system has demonstrated improvement in all areas relating to
access, redress, equity, quality, efficiency and inclusivity.
c) The pass rate increased from 78.2% 81.3%, an increase of 3.1%.
d) All PEDs have performed above 70%.
e) Six of the nine provinces have performed above 80%
f) The three large rural provinces have demonstrated significant
improvements. EC: 70.7% 76.5% (5.9%); LP: 69.4% 73.2% (3.8%);
KZN: 73.3% 76.5% (3.2%). Intervention programmes are beginning
to yield the desired outcomes.
g) Admission to Bachelor Studies increased from 172 043 (33.6%) to 186
058 (36.9%).
h) Increase in the number of districts that performed above 80% ( 34 45).
93

94. CONCLUSION
i) Increase in the number of schools that achieved a pass rate above
80%. (2 934 3 495).
j) Increase in the number of Quintiles 1 – 3 schools, scoring above 80%
(1961 2484)
k) There are however areas which warrant greater attention and these
relate to:
• Enrolment/performance in gateway subjects
• Enrolment of Special Needs learners.
• Raising the bar in terms of learner performance levels (40%)
94

95. 95