Marking of matric exams kicks off

THE MARKING of the 2018 National Senior Certificate examinations kicked off in Kimberley on the weekend.

A total 982 markers gathered in Kimberley on Saturday, where 173 873 scripts from 73 question papers in 43 subjects will be marked at three marking stations up until December 12.

The Northern Cape Department of Education promised that “the standard of marking will be raised to a higher level” during this time.

“From the start of the year, various matric intervention programmes were embarked on to support the Class of 2018. Educators have worked hard and have applied all possible efforts to raise the bar and to improve the results and the quality of pasess in our Province,” department spokesperson, Geoffrey van der Merwe, said.

He added that the marking of candidates’ scripts in public examinations was “one of the most challenging but rewarding exercises”.

“The National Senior Certificate marking needs intense and prolonged concentration, coupled with validity, reliability, consistency and accuracy. Besides producing a mark, the outcome of the marking of each candidate must be a reflection of the extent to which the knowledge, skills and other competencies have been demonstrated. It is critical to the integrity and credibility of the NSC examinations that the marking is conducted with the necessary professionalism, care and dedication.”

The Northern Cape will release its provincial results on January 4 2019, which will be followed by the Provincial Matric Awards, to acknowledge the top pupils in the Province.