Western Cape Education Department
National Senior Certificate Examinations 2023
In the first category, schools are awarded in terms of Improvement in pass rate, greatest increase in the percentage of candidates achieving access to Bachelor’s degree studies, improvement and excellence in individual subjects and excellence in academic performance.
In the second category, awards are made to all public, independent and Technical Schools that achieve excellence in academic performance.
All schools will receive a certificate.
Category 1: Most Improved Schools
Category 1A: Most Improved Public Schools
Awards will be made to ten (10) public schools with 30 or more candidates that have shown the greatest improvement in pass rate over the period 2020 to 2023. The criteria also include consistency in the number of Grade 12 candidates over the 3-year period from 2020 to 2023.
Category 1B: Most Improved Technical High School
Category 1C: Greatest increase in the percentage of Bachelor's passes
Awards will be made to ten (10) schools with 30 or more candidates that have shown the greatest increase in the percentage of candidates achieving access to Bachelor’s degree studies over the period 2020 to 2023. The criteria also include consistency in number of Grade 12 candidates over the 3-year period from 2020 to 2023.
Category 1D: Greatest increase in the pass rate from 2022 to 2023
Awards will be made to five ordinary public schools with 80 or more candidates that have shown the greatest increase in the pass rate when the 2023 pass rate is compared with the 2022 pass rate.
Category 1E: Most improved pass performance
Awards will be made to five ordinary public schools with 80 or more candidates that have shown the greatest increase in the pass rate when the 2023 pass rate is compared with the 2022 pass rate, as well as an increase in the number of candidates from 2022 to 2023.
Category 1F: Greatest percentage increase in the total number of subject distinctions
Awards will be made to five ordinary public schools that have shown the greatest increase in the percentage of candidates achieving subject distinctions from 2022 to 2023.
Category 2: Improvement and excellence in individual subjects
Improvement
For Mathematics, this is awarded to one school in the province that obtained the highest score when combining the following: change in percentage of candidates in the cohort taking the subject, the change in the pass rate for the subject, the change in the subject average and the change in the number of candidates taking the subject. Minimum enrolment of 30 candidates is required. The weighting is the same for all the criteria.
The same criteria are applied for improvement in Mathematics and Physical Sciences:
Improvement in Mathematics: Murray High School
Improvement in Physical Sciences: Bloekombos Secondary School
For Home languages, this is awarded to one school in the province that showed the greatest improvement in the average for English Home Language, Afrikaans Home Language and Xhosa Home Language in 2023, compared to their subject average in 2022. Minimum enrolment of 30 candidates is required.
Improvement in English HL: Blackheath Secondary School
Improvement in Afrikaans HL: Hoërskool Diazville
Improvement in Xhosa HL: Silikamva Secondary School
Excellence
This is awarded to the school in the province that obtained the highest score when combining the following: percentage of candidates in the cohort taking the subject, the pass rate for the subject, the subject average, and the number of candidates taking the subject.
Excellence in Mathematics: Diocesan College | Herschel Girls School
Excellence in Physical Sciences: Diocesan College
Excellence in Home languages this is awarded to one school in the province that produced the highest pass rate in English Home Language, Afrikaans Home Language and Xhosa Home Language in 2023 and had the highest average in English Home Language, Afrikaans Home Language and Xhosa Home Language in 2023.
Excellence in English HL: Springfield Convent of the Holy Rosary
Excellence in Afrikaans HL: Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof
Excellence in Xhosa HL: Centre of Science and Technology
Category 3: Excellence in Academic Performance
In this category, awards are presented to the top three Technical Schools as well as to schools promoting technical subjects. The top three schools in the province with an NSC enrolment of less than 80 candidates and the top 20 schools with 80 or more candidates that have achieved excellence in academic results in 2023, will also be awarded.
3A: The top three Technical High Schools are:
3B: Schools promoting technical subjects
3C. Consistent pass rates of 95% and more over five years
3D. The top four schools with an NSC enrolment of less than 80 candidates are:
3E: The top 20 schools in the province with an NSC enrolment of 80 or more candidates (including independent schools) that have achieved excellence in academic results in 2023 are: