When will the 2017 matric results be released?

With matric exams having drawn to a close, those who are finishing school face an anxious wait to see whether they have passed.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has announced that the results for the 2017 matric exams will be released by the Minister of Education on 4 January 2018 and pupils will be able to collect their results at schools and examination centres on 5 January 2018.

Results should also be available online through various news portals and on the  Department of Education’s website.

A total of 802 636 candidates, 634 527 of those who are full-time pupils, wrote matric this year.

Marking has already started in Gauteng and Limpopo but with nearly one million learners writing exams, it is no easy task.

In total, markers have more than 10 million answer sheets to get through to deliver results on time. Almost 45 000 markers will take on the task at 144 marking centres across the country.

In 2016, South Africa had a total matric pass rate of 72.5%. However, this figure has been criticised for not telling the full story.

Equal Education described the matric pass percentage as a superficial and misleading indicator of public education quality.

“The pass rate reflects only the performance of those learners who managed to stay in school for 12 years and obscures how many dropped out along the way,” said Equal Education.

When this is considered, the actual matric pass rate came to just 44.8% with a dropout rate of over 38%. The ‘cohort pass rate’ as EE describes it has steadily improved from 36.7% in 2011.

The Department of Education’s rate has fluctuated from 70.2% in 2011 to its highest at 78.2% in 2013.

Free State had the highest pass rate in 2016 – a total of 93.2%. The Eastern Cape, meanwhile, had the lowest, with a pass rate of just 63.3%.

If you’re a learner waiting for your results – we wish you luck. Try and relax – there is nothing more you can do now.