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SU-UIC approves release of IEB’s international May 2024 examination results
Author: SU-UIC
Published: 11/07/2024

​“We (SU-UIC) regard this as a very successful examination sitting in this fourth offering"

~ Prof Sarah Howie, Director of the SU-UIC

The Stellenbosch University (SU) Unit for International Credentialling (SU-UIC) is pleased to confirm the approval of the release of the Independent Examinations Board's (IEB) International Secondary Certificate (ISC) and Further Studies examination results conducted between 8 and 28 May 2024.

This May 2024 examination sitting was the fourth IEB ISC examinations to take place. The SU-UIC has been conducting the external quality assurance of the Further Studies subjects and the IEB ISC, Africa's first international school-leaving certificate since its inception in 2022. The SU-UIC found that the examination sessions were fair, valid, and reliable as well as being free from any irregularities that could have compromised the integrity or credibility of the examinations.

The SU-UIC Quality Assurance Governance Committee, chaired by Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs at SU, confirmed the approval of the release of the results of the ISC and Further Studies examinations on 2 July 2024, after extensive and rigorous quality assurance processes. The external quality assurance processes, amongst others, included the verification of IEB's internal quality assurance processes, external moderation and approval of the examination papers, interrogation of the quality and standard of the examinations, verification of the resulting and certification data and standardisation of the results.

Ms Confidence Dikgole, Chief Executive Officer of IEB, during Standardisation of the results expressed that “We (IEB) take every step necessary to maintain credibility and reliability in the examinations". Prof Sarah Howie, Director of the SU-UIC, shared this sentiment at the meeting held to approve the release of results, stating “We (SU-UIC) regard this as a very successful examination sitting in this fourth offering."

 

International Secondary Examinations (ISC)

The ISC, Africa's first international school-leaving qualification developed by the IEB, is rigorous and equivalent to South Africa's National Senior Certificate (NSC), allowing holders to gain admission to South African universities. The ISC is recognised by Universities South Africa and UK Ecctis as comparable to Australian, UK, and Kenyan school-leaving qualifications.

The ISC is offered in eSwatini, Namibia, and Mozambique. In May 2024, 91 learners from the three countries wrote the ISC examinations at six examination centres, achieving a 92.4% pass rate from 157 subject entries. Since its launch in 2022, the ISC has grown in offerings and number of learners. The ISC started offering examinations in May 2023 in addition to the November examinations. To date 116 learners have written the mid-year examinations, reflecting the need for an Africa-centred international qualification, that provides learners with an affordable and flexible alternative.

Further Studies Subjects

A total of 699 learners took the IEB May 2024 Further Studies examinations, compared to 423 in 2023. Further Studies courses in Afrikaans, English, Mathematics and Physics are regarded as challenging, enrichment academic offerings. These optional examinations allow learners to enhance their academic credentials before entering tertiary education, providing an advantage for local and international admissions and students' success.

This year, 696 learners sat the examinations for the first time, while 3 retook it to improve their scores. Impressively, 50 of these were Grade 11 learners. The cohort achieved an 80.33% pass rate across six subjects, with 56 learners scoring between 90 and 99%.

The IEB Further Studies courses are available to learners pursuing the IEB ISC in eSwatini, Mozambique, and Namibia, as well as the National Senior Certificate (NSC) in South Africa from both independent and public schools. A UK ENIC (Ecctis) benchmarking exercise found the courses comparable to UK A-levels, underscoring their global competitiveness.