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Help! My child missed an exam, what can I do?

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MATRICULANTS of 2015 of the Adamantia High School, writing their first examination paper. Photo: Emile Hendricks
MATRICULANTS of 2015 of the Adamantia High School, writing their first examination paper. Photo: Emile Hendricks

After navigating the many years of schooling to get to the final exams, parents and students everywhere hold onto the hope that nothing will go wrong at the last minute.

However, taxi strikes, load shedding, illnesses and more can suddenly derail even the best laid plans. So what to do if your child has missed a final exam

Xolani wrote to us with this common concern, so we gathered the relevant information to advise and assist all parents in this situation. 

Good day,
My child could not write his matric paper yesterday as he was not feeling well, he was admitted to the hospital for food poisoning. 
What recourse do we have for him to write?
Kind regards,
Xolani

We called the Western Cape Department Of Education and a representative explained that if Xolani has a medical certificate, it must be sent to the school. The school will forward it to the department, and the boy will be able to rewrite the exam he missed in June the following year.

To qualify for the NSC June 2020 exams, the following conditions apply:

Candidates are only allowed to rewrite subjects they had previously registered for in the October/November 2019 examination.

Candidates with valid reasons for absenteeism (e.g. a medical condition, the death of an immediate family member, or other special circumstances) from one or more of the NSC October/November 2019 examinations will be allowed to register for the NSC June 2020 examination.

These candidates will be able to choose between writing just the unwritten exam or all examination question papers. 

Also read: What are the NEW matric pass requirements?

The NSC June 2020 examination is also open to candidates who could not write one or more of the October/November 2019 exams for reasons not listed above. A written statement from the applicant's principal will be required by the Head of the assessment body.

According to the Department of Basic Education, the Head of the assessment body could be either "the Director-General of the Department of Basic Education, the Head of a Provincial Education Department or the Head of an independent assessment body." 

Candidates whose October/November 2019 examination results are under investigation will be allowed to enrol for the NSC June 2020 examination on a provisional basis. Whether these candidates will be allowed to write will depend on the results of the investigation. 

You qualify for a supplementary exam if you:

  • Need a maximum of 2 subjects to meet the NSC requirements.
  • Need a higher grade to be able to apply for your chosen course or university.
  • Need to pass 1 subject to qualify for a Bachelor's degree.
  • Were unable to write your final exams because of an illness. 
  • Were unable to write or finish your exam as a result of a death in the family or other reasons.
  • Encountered an irregularity during the time of the NSC final examinations that is being investigated. You will be given provisional enrollment while the verdict is pending.

Find more exam resources here 

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Find more school exam resources here

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