Registration is now open for those qualifying to write their 2022 Senior Certificate (SC) examination and will be written between May and June 2022.
A SC qualification was established as a qualification for adults that is equivalent to the current National Senior Certificate (NSC). The SC retains its qualification structure but will utilise the National Curriculum Statement subjects to support the qualification.
The SC also allows candidates to obtain university endorsements. As in the case of the NSC exam, they can also qualify for admission to Bachelor, Diploma or Higher Certificate programmes at higher education institutions.
Who qualifies to write the Senior Certificate examination?
- Adult learners, aged 21 years and older, who have a General Education and Training Certificate (GETC), or a Grade 9 school report (or the old standard 7) stating they have passed Grade 9 or Standard 7, or a recognised equivalent qualification obtained at NQF level that requires two official languages;
- Adult learners, aged 21 years and older, with an incomplete SC qualification;
- Adult learners, aged 21 years and older, with an incomplete NSC;
- Only in exceptional cases, out of school youth aged 18-21 years, 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;
- Adult candidates, aged 21 years and older, with an incomplete NSC, may choose to complete the NSC or convert to the SC. Should the candidate choose to convert to the SC, they may not revert to the NSC and attempt to complete the NSC qualification;
- Adult candidates who have already obtained a qualification but wish to improve their results/status.
Candidates that qualify to write the Senior Certificate examination will write the examination in May/June 2022. Candidates writing the Senior Certificate will be exempt from school-based assessment, and 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.
Registration can be done online or at any provincial education district office. Both online registration and manual registration will close on January 31, 2022.
The Department of Basic Education advises learners who intend to write the SC examination to commence with preparations for the examinations immediately, given that the curriculum is a year-long programme.
The department has made available an examination guideline, which provides a framework on the structure and format of the examination. Exemplar question papers are also available on the DBE website.