Getting your results and finding out you have failed your matric exam may be extremely depressing. It may even be shocking and unexpected. You may feel your world is crumbling around you and you have nowhere to go. While your friends move on to better things, you’ll feel like you’re left behind trying to pick up the pieces.
Failing matric can be a slap in the face, but it’s really not the end of the world.
However, you can see this as a temporary setback! You can use this setback as an opportunity to improve your marks. Don’t lose sight of the big picture.
Remember, your career journey is a life-long path and there will be setbacks along the way. If you have the right attitude will bounce back and succeed despite the odds.
So what are your options from here? First, reflect on where you are and what you would like to do with your life. Perhaps start by getting some direction and then consider your immediate options.
What are my options? – There are steps you can take to move forward and upward.
Options available to learners who did not do as well as they hoped to include:
- Get a remark
If you feel as though you studied really hard for a particular paper, felt good about it after and then you were incredibly disappointed after receiving your results, it might be a good idea to get a remark. While there’s no guarantee that your results will improve by much if at all, it’s a worth a try. So this is how you go about getting a remark:
Results will be released for private schools on 2 January while the Department of Basic Education will release the state NSC matric exam results on 5 January, and the Western Cape NSC results on 6 January.
Learners will have to apply for a remark (complete re-assessment of your paper) or recheck (re-counting and calculating the marks) by 19 January and register at either their school or district office in their province to do so. You will also have to pay a fee of R92 for a remark or R21 for a recheck.
Viewing scripts may only be done after a remark or recheck. The closing date for applications to view your paper is 7 days after the release of the remark or recheck and costs R180.
Further instructions will be provided to students on the reverse side of the Statement of Results.
There are also things you can do to improve your results, like even going back to school before rewriting your exams and then possibly getting into the University of your dreams. Don’t give up just yet!
- Register for supplementary exams
The Department of Basic Education (DBE), earlier this year, introduced a number of changes to the supplementary exam timetable and structure in South Africa.
In April 2018, it was reported that supplementary exams would be scrapped in favour of a new system that will delay rewrites to the middle of the year.
The way supplementary exams currently work is that any student who failed a matric paper – or would like an opportunity to do better in one – can register to rewrite with an extra-curricular set of papers written in the first few months of the new school year.
The department confirmed that from 2019, supplementary exams will no longer take place in March but rather in June.
This, according to the DBE, is due to the average number – 40,000 – learners who enroll for supplementary examinations every year but then do not turn up to write the examinations.
If you marginally missed the requirements to get your Senior Certificate, you can retake the exams provided you meet the following criteria:
- If you require a maximum of 2 subjects to obtain the Senior Certificate you may redo those subjects, provided they are the same two subjects taken in the previous end-of-year examination.
- If you were unable to complete the exam period as a result of being medically unfit.
- If there was a death in the family and you, therefore, were unable to write your exam(s).
- If you qualify for a higher education institute or for an occupation but falls short of entering without your Senior Certificate. You’re allowed to rewrite a maximum of two courses.
- If an irregularity is being investigated, provisional enrolment for supplementary exams may be granted, pending the outcome of the investigation.
- If you were unable to complete one or more exams due to any other valid reason, provided that a written report is submitted by the principal of the school to the head of the assessment body.
When applying for supplementary exams, documentary proof must be provided for all absenteeism.
- Consider the Second Chance programme
If you have failed your matric exams, it’s not the end of the world. Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga announced the launch of the Second Chance Matric Support programme in January 2015.
The aim of the programme is to provide FREE support to
- Learners who need to re-write a maximum of 2 subjects in February and March; and
- Progressed learners – those who wrote 3 or more subjects in November and will complete the rest in June.
The programme has 4 pillars of support:
Face to Face tuition
- In all 9 provinces, at 50 venues, mainly in the rural and semi-rural areas.
- This is only available for those writing in June and November.
Broadcasting Solutions
- Telematics Broadcasts at selected schools – nationally except GP.
- Internet Broadcasting Programme (IBP) at selected schools in the Free State.
- HD Open View Television Broadcasts: Channel 201 at 36 venues, nationally or privately (500 000 households connected).
- DStv Channel 319, Mindset Television Broadcasts (4.5 Million households connected).
- SABC Education Geleza Nathi broadcasts weekdays on SABC 1 from 5am to 6am with repeats at 11pm.
- SABC Education Geleza Nathi YouTube videos.
- Digital Online Course via internet.
Printed resources
- Mind the Gap study guides in 8 of the 11 subjects.
- Past question papers.
- Study tips.
- Maths and science textbooks.
This will be implemented for both supplementary and progressed learners and is available at Face to Face classes or from district offices and DBE Offices.
Internet resources
- Candidates will be able to access the internet at teacher centres, community centres, Vodacom Centres, libraries and free Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Online course to support learners.
- Available throughout the year.
- Compatible on all devices.
- Available offline via the CAP at libraries, community centres, and so on (Mzanzi Online Libraries Project).
- Can be accessed on personal computers or at the 74 Vodacom centres, libraries, community centres, etc.
- No data costs for Vodacom subscribers utilising the Vodacom e-learning site.
Support is offered in the following subjects:
- Accounting
- Agricultural Sciences
- Business Studies
- Economics
- English First Additional Language
- Geography
- History
- Mathematics
- Mathematical Literacy
- Physical Sciences
- Life Sciences
Check out the Department of Basic Education’s website to find out more about the Second Chance Programme.
- Redo some subjects
If you didn’t do well in a particular subject or a few subjects, you can redo them at particular institutions. This isn’t the worst thing in the world, especially if you didn’t get into the University of your choice because a few of the subjects you needed for a course didn’t quite cut it.
Are there any other options that might have been missed that could possibly be shared with students? Please leave your comment in the comment section.
Comments
Post a Comment