Exams and the Late Arrivals of CTA's

WESTERN CAPE EDUCATION MEC Cameron Dugmore has been in touch with Minister Naledi Pandor on the matter of the late arrival of the national Common Tasks of Assessment papers, and is satisfied that she is taking it very seriously to avoid a similar occurrence.

Minister Pandor has instructed the Director-General Duncan Hindle, to investigate whether there was any negligence on the part of any official.

Said MEC Cameron Dugmore: "While continuous assessment can include end-of-year examinations, they are not a requirement. The WCED has provided guidelines on the tasks required for continuous assessment for every learning area.

"The department has also informed schools of the arrangements in respect of the CTAs in a circular that was distributed on 7 October 2005. The WCED has already distributed the first two batches, and is currently distributing the third and final batch. Most of the assessments will take place during November, " said MEC Dugmore.

Grade 9 learners countrywide are writing national Common Tasks of Assessment (CTAs) as part of their assessment for the final year of General Education and Training (GET), which covers Grades R to 9 in schools.

The CTAs are designed to assess the knowledge, values and skills that a learner should have acquired during the course of GET, according to the national curriculum.

The CTAs represent external assessment, accounting for 25% of the Grade 9 year mark, while internal, continuous assessment by the school will account for 75%. CTAs are set nationally. The WCED is distributing the CTAs in three batches, as they have become available.

For enquiries, contact Paddy Attwell 083 261 7699, or Gert Witbooi 082 550 3938, or gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za.

Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Officer
Office of the MEC for Education
Western Cape
Tel: 021 467 2523
Fax: 021 425 5689
Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za