Misconceptions surrounding exams standardisation
The standardisation of external examination results is an internationally acceptable process that takes place in every country under the control and management of its various examination boards. It is not unique to South Africa, which started the practice in 1918 during the Joint Matriculation Board (JMB) era, which lasted until 1992.
The process ensures that the results of different examination series are comparable over time, despite variations in the difficulty of the question papers or other factors that might affect student performance.
This was one of the key messages shared by Mr Biki Lepota (left), Senior Manager: Public Relations and Communications at Umalusi, representing the Umalusi CEO, Dr. Mafu Rakometsi, at Universities South Africa’s Education Deans’ Forum (EDF) meeting on 15 August.
“Every year, the CEO of Umalusi addresses stakeholders in the higher education sector about what standardisation is and what it is not, because of the myths and misconceptions surrounding it,” he said.
Umalusi, which was officially established in 2001, ensures quality assurance in basic and further education and training in South Africa. Its functions extend to accrediting private education institutions and assessment bodies, monitoring their standards, and issuing certificates for specific qualifications. Umalusi’s mandate is derived from the General and Further Education and Training Quality Assurance Act (GENFETQA) (Act No. 58 of 2001, as amended) and the National Qualifications Framework Act (NQF Act) (Act No. 67 of 2008, as amended).
The standardisation of examination marks is assigned to the Assessment Standards Committee (ASC) of the Umalusi Council. Its members are not Umalusi employees, Lepota emphasised, but are rather independent experts drawn from various universities and research institutions. They are subject matter experts in education, business sciences, mathematics, etc., with years of experience in schools and higher education systems.
He said the value of standardisation lies in the fact that it mitigates the impact on performance of factors outside of the learners’ subject knowledge, abilities and aptitude. Standardisation addresses any variation in the standard of question papers, which may occur despite careful moderation processes, as well as variations in the standard of marking that may occur from year to year. Standardisation also ensures comparability and consistency in learner performance across years.
There is only one examination certificate
Lepota stated that all examination candidates receive the same National Senior Certificate (NSC) from Umalusi, ensuring consistency in the final qualification.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that there are two matric qualifications – the Department of Basic Education (DBE) matric and an Independent Examinations Board (IEB) matric,” he said. “There is only one NSC in South Africa. Umalusi is responsible for quality assuring the NSC as administered by both the DBE and private assessment bodies such as the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI) and the IEB.
“I want to repeat that the IEB is not a qualification but an assessment body that sets examinations linked to the NSC. Those examinations are quality assured by Umalusi, and the learners in the IEB system receive the same NSC issued to all other Grade 12 learners. Two NSC certificates issued by Umalusi are identical, whether issued by the IEB or by the Department of Basic Education. The only differentiator will be the school where the learner wrote their examination.”
He said Umalusi recently benchmarked the NSC against five international qualifications, namely the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme; the Kenyan national education system (KCSE); the state education system of New South Wales, Australia (HSC); the Zimbabwean national education system (Forms 5-6 advanced level); and the Cambridge Assessment International Education AS/A Levels.
According to findings reported by Ecctis, an international expert in the recognition, evaluation and comparability of qualifications and skills, the study concluded that the NSC offers an internationally comparable level of education.
Lepota said one of the key determinants of the final NSC marks is the School-Based Assessment (SBA) mark. “Reviewing this, we discovered that some students write assignments with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).” He said Umalusi and all educational institutions must learn to navigate this new territory.
He concluded by saying Umalusi would be delighted to participate in the annual EDF Colloquium set for 20 November, under the theme Digital Transformation and Inclusivity in Initial Teacher Development. Topics to be covered include Assessment and Academic Integrity in the AI Era and Teacher Identity in the Age of AI.
Janine Greenleaf Walker is a contract writer for Universities South Africa.
