If you have received an unpleasant surprise on your matric results, the first step you should take is to consider if a subject (or several) should be remarked. This is especially useful in cases where the received examination result does not match with (realistic) expectations and academic performance to date. Here’s what you should know about the cost, process, and when it is worth doing.
How Much It Costs to Have Your Matric Exam Remarked?
If you attend a no-fee (public) school, you will not have to pay anything to have your matric exam remarked. If you attended a fee-paying school, whether public or private, you will have to pay for the matric remark.
Remarking currently costs about R110 per subject while rechecking costs R27. Remember that a recheck will only re-tally the marks as presented on the paper, while a remark will ‘start from scratch’. You can also pay R212 to see the script yourself but have to have had it rechecked or remarked beforehand. You will receive your new marks about 30 days after the cut-off date.
How Can I Get My Matric Results Remarked?
The Department of Basic Education has now made getting a matric results remark an online process for extra efficiency. You will need to register on the relevant portal, sign in using the password/username combo you create, and request the remark there. If you think you will forget this, don’t worry- the information is also offered on the back of your statement of results. There is also a helpdesk, and contact us options for assistance and further information.
How Does Matric Remark Work?
Matric remarks reassess your original submitted exam paper, looking to see if the mark received was wholly accurate or if pieces were skipped/ marks were incorrectly deducted. With the vast amount of students writing the examinations nationally every year, it is possible for a few mistakes to sneak in no matter how vigilant the adjudicators are.
You can apply for a remark on the Government portal. There is a cut-off date for matric paper remarks, typically about 14 days after the matric results are released, so you need to be timeous if you want to use this option. Remember that Life Orientation/CAT cannot be remarked as it is only offered while still in the school environment.
Should there have been a major, grade-changing error with your matric marks, you will be issued a new statement of results along with the results.
How Long Does it Take to Remark Matric Results?
Remember that there is a cut-off date to apply for a matric remark, usually in mid-February/about 14 days after the matric results are released. These do shift from year to year, so remember to check the exact dates for your session on the Department of Basic Education’s website for the most accurate information.
Typically, you will receive your new marks/the results of your remark about 30 days after that, typically in the middle of March for normal examination periods.
What is a Good Matric Score?
A ‘good matric score’ is a very personal and variable concept. Some high-performing and academically focused students will not accept anything less than multiple distinctions and a full University pass. For other, less academically gifted students, simply passing may be enough. However, here are some reasonable benchmarks to consider.
Firstly, the actual matric pass mark is set very low, especially compared to global standards. It works out at around a 35% pass mark, and that really isn’t a stellar academic performance. For some students from disadvantaged backgrounds or dealing with harsh life circumstances, however, passing at all is something to celebrate. At least you have finished your schooling with a pass and can move into the first phase of your adult life. However, this is not a mark that will wow future employers or academic institutions, so it is always worth setting your sights higher.
For most people, the ‘gut feeling’ about a ‘good matric score’ means passing with at least 50%. This would entail passing an APS score of 15 or more and receiving the higher certificate pass. This will open some academic doors for you, leading to further education, which many future employees want to see, and will make you a very average student.
For those looking to enter fields where further academic training is valued, aiming for at least the diploma pass (APS of 19 or higher) is smart. There’s almost no one who wouldn’t consider a university pass a good score. This represents a very solid academic achievement and will open the most doors for your future, too. For some highly academically gifted students, how well they perform will hinge on the number of distinctions they receive.
Before deciding if your matric score is a good one, you need to consider factors like the tertiary education opportunities you were hoping to leverage and aim for those benchmarks. You aren’t competing just with others but also with the standards you set for yourself.
Having your matric exam remarked if something seems to be wrong with the results you received is a great first step to managing your future and ensuring your matric results are a fair reflection of your academic performance.
