Department Of Basic Education Amended Senior Certificate

Department Of Basic Education Amended Senior Certificate

The last Senior Certificate examination based on the policy document, A Resume of instructional programmes in schools (Report 550), which allowed learners with incomplete Senior Certificate credits, as well as adult learners of 21 years and older, was conducted in June 2014.

However, based on the need for a qualification for adults that is equivalent to the current National Senior Certificate (NSC), the Minister of Basic Education has approved the revision of the current Senior Certificate qualification such that it can be offered by learners who will have no alternative route to follow post June 2014. The amended Senior Certificate, retains its qualification structure but will utilise the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) subjects to support the qualification.

This implies that the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) subjects will be offered as part of the amended Senior Certificate. The first examination based on the amended Senior Certificate was written in JunelJuly 2015. All Senior Certificate subjects that were passed prior to June 2015, at Higher Grade and Standard Grade levels, excluding Lower Grade conversions, will be recognized.

As the Senior Certificate (amended) currently does not allow candidates to obtain University endorsement, candidates that write the Senior Certificate (amended) examinations can obtain an age exemption through Universities South Africa (USAf: http://mb.usaf.ac.za/exemption-requirements/), as an interim measure until the University admission requirements are approved by the Department of Higher Education and Training.

The following learners will qualify for admission to the Senior Certificate(amended):

• Adult learners who are 21 years and older who have:
  • a General Education and Training Certificate (GETC); or
  • a Grade 9 school report (or the old standard seven). stating that they have passed Grade 9 or Standard 7; or
  • a recognised equivalent qualification obtained at NQF Level which requires two official languages.
• Adult learners who are 21 years and older with an incomplete Senior Certificate qualification.
• Adult learners who are 21 years and older with an incomplete National Senior Certificate and whose School-Based Assessment (SBA) validity has expired.
• Only in exceptional cases, out of school youth, who are 18-21 years old and who could not complete their school education due to circumstances beyond their control, as verified by the Head of Department in the Provincial Education Department.

 

The subjects listed below which are part of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement of the National Senior Certificate, will be offered as part of the amended Senior Certificate. The subjects will in essence be the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements of the National Senior Certificate, excluding the School-Based Assessment (SBA) component.
Each candidate must offer six subjects in order to qualify for the amended Senior Certificate.

Adults who have approved Senior Certificate subject credits, but do not comply with the required six-subject package, must select the remaining required subjects from the following list of 14 adapted National Senior Certificate subjects.

The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements for the above-listed Senior Certificate subjects are available.

Senior Certificate subjects credits that were passed prior to June 2015, at Higher Grade and Standard Grade levels, excluding Lower Grade conversions, will be recognized.
With the exception of Business English N3, Second Language, and/or Sakeafrikaans N3, Second Language, no N3 subjects will be recognised.

In the case of learners, who have attempted the National Senior Certificate examination, but were unable to complete all the subject requirements, and have exhausted the three year validity period allowed for the School Based Assessment (SBA), such candidates will have all their previous credits recognised.

Candidates that qualify to write the amended Senior Certificate examination will write the examination in June/July 2017. Candidates writing the amended Senior Certificate will be exempt from School Based Assessment, and this implies that the examination in the subject will constitute 100% of the final mark.
Examinations will be administered at designated examination centres determined by the Provincial Education Department. The examination may also be offered by the independent assessment bodies accredited by Umalusi.

Promotion requirements 
A Senior Certificate will be achieved by an adult candidate who satisfies the following requirements in these examinations:

1. Pass three subjects at 40%, one of which must be an official language at Home Language level.
2. Pass two subjects at 30%, one of which must be an official language at First Additional or Home Language level.
3. Obtain a subminimum of 20% in the sixth subject.

Registration for the 2018 Senior Certificate Examination
Registration for the 2018 exams may be done at any education district office; registration closes in September.

Preparation for the 2018 Senior Certificate Examination
Learners that intend to write the 2018 Senior Certificate examination must commence with preparations for the examinations immediately, given that the curriculum is a year programme. Learners may obtain the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for the relevant subject from the DBE website or the nearest provincial education office. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has made available an Examination Guideline, which provides a framework on the structure and format of the examination.

Exemplar question papers based on CAPS are also available on the DBE website.