Pretoria - Examination quality assurance body, Umalusi, has given the 2010 matric exams its all important stamp of approval.
At a press conference on Thursday, chairperson of the Umalusi Council, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, said the board was satisfied that the exams were carried out in a credible manner and that the results could be released.
Apart from the results for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) of the Department of Basic Education, Umalusi approved the release of results for the General Education and Training Certificate (Adult Basic Education Training Level 4) or GETC ABET, the Nated Programmes and the National Certificate (Vocational) -- all of which fall under the Department of Higher Education and Training.
Umalusi also approved the release of the exams administered by two independent assessment bodies - The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) and the Eksamenraad vir Christelike Onderwys (ERCO).
Mabizela said since 17 December, Umalusi's Assessment Standards Committee had been busy with the standardisation of the exam results.
"Standardisation seeks to mitigate fluctuations in learner performance that are a result of factors within the examination process themselves rather that the knowledge, aptitude or abilities of learners," he explained.
With regards to the NSC exams, which 641 533 candidates wrote, 58 of the exam subjects were subjected to the standardisation process.
The raw marks of candidates were accepted for 39 subjects, while in nine subjects, marks were adjusted upwards. In the remaining 10 subjects, there was a downward adjustment of marks.
"Umalusi is pleased with the fact that of 67.24% of the subjects raw marks were accepted. This is an indication that the qualification is stabilising and that the assessment instruments are, in general, being pitched at correct levels.
"It must also be noted that for the subjects where upward adjustments were effected, no subject was adjusted to the maximum 10%," he said.
Mabizela added that all irregularities, most of which were of a "technical and administrative" nature, were looked at with regards to the NSC.
He said some of these irregularities were being investigated but were manageable and did not affect the integrity and credibility of the exam process.
Turning to the GETC ABET exams, 23 learning areas were standardised.
Raw marks were accepted in nine learning areas; 13 learning areas were adjusted upward and one learning area was adjusted downward.
Of the 192 subjects standardised for the National Certificate (Vocational), raw marks in 128 subjects were accepted, while 32 subjects were adjusted upwards and 32 downwards.
With regards to the Nated (N1 to N3) Programme, a total of 118 subjects were standardised. Raw marks were accepted for 88 subjects, with upward adjustments in 13 subjects and downward adjustments in 17.
Mabizela said that 53 subjects examined by the IEB were standardised. Of these, raw marks were accepted in 38 subjects, with upward adjustments in 11 subjects and downward adjustments in four.
Twenty-two subjects examined by ERCO were also standardised. Raw marks were accepted in 15 subjects and there were upward adjustments in seven subjects. There were no downward adjustments in any subject.
However, he added that while Umalusi had approved the release of the ERCO results, the body was not in a position to give unqualified approval to the integrity of the results.
Mabizela explained this was due to "some systemic errors" such as writing of an accounting exam paper that was not the final approved version.
Umalusi had met with ERCO representatives to discuss these concerns, he added.
