Minister Schafer pleased with progress as NSC candidates reach the halfway mark

NSC Candidates have now entered the fourth week of the exams, with 14 644 writing Physical Sciences Paper 2 (Chemistry) yesterday (Monday, 6 November).

Today 10 697 candidates will write Economics Paper 2, with 99 candidates writing Sesotho Home Language.

Today also marks the midway point for our Grade 12 learners who are writing the 2017 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.

The matric exams have run smoothly so far, with no reports of any irregularities in the Western Cape. Overall, I am pleased with the way in which the examinations are progressing.

As a mother of twin daughters in matric, I know that this is particularly stressful time for the learners and their families, and I must extend my appreciation to parents, caregivers and members of the community in general for the continued support over this stressful period.

I know that for some, the first half of the examinations has been a tough one, with many of the more popular subjects having already been written such as Mathematics, History, Geography, and Physical Sciences.

Last week was particularly busy, with exams for several high-enrolment subjects, including Maths, Maths Literacy, Xhosa, Economics, Geography, Afrikaans and Economics.

Exams for high-enrolment subjects this week include various English papers (54 777); Xhosa (14 128); and Life Sciences Paper 1 (32 455).

The final matric exam for 2017 will be Design on Tuesday, 28 November, for 924 learners.

The final exam for most learners will be on Monday, 27 November, with learners writing English Home Language and First Additional Language Paper 3, for 21 377 and 33 395 candidates respectively.

A total of 65 899 candidates have registered to write the 2017 matric exams in the Western Cape, including 51 987 full time candidates and 13 912 part time candidates.

This is a reminder that candidates are required to be available up to the 6th of December for any eventuality - such as the need to rewrite a paper.

To all the NSC candidates - I would like to congratulate you on coming this far and motivate you to stay focused until you have completed your final examination.

This is the final stretch after a long 12 year school career. These next three weeks are critical and we wish all our candidates writing the best until the final exam.

Candidates are reminded that they can phone the WCED's Safe Schools Call Centre if they need to talk about any anxiety and stress they may be feeling. The toll-free number is 0800-45-46-47.