How to rewrite or upgrade your matric

You can improve your matric results by rewriting subjects, and adults can write the Senior Certificate instead. The supplementary exam in February and March has been phased out, so rewrites happen in the May and June exams. Which route fits you depends on your age and how you wrote matric before.

Choose your route

• You wrote the National Senior Certificate (NSC) in November 2008 or later: register as a part-time candidate to rewrite subjects in the May and June exams. You can only register for subjects you were registered for in an earlier November exam.
• You are younger than 21: you can also go back to school as a full-time repeater.
• You want to study at a centre: register as a part-time repeater at a public adult education centre.
• You are 21 or older: you can write the Senior Certificate (as amended), the adult matric, in the May and June exams.

The Senior Certificate for adults

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) says the Senior Certificate is for adults aged 21 and older who have a Grade 9 report, a General Education and Training Certificate or a recognised equivalent, or an incomplete matric. Out-of-school youth aged 18 to 21 can only write it in exceptional cases verified by the Head of Department.

• You write six subjects, in May and June only.
• There is no school-based assessment: the exam is 100% of your mark.
• To pass, you need three subjects at 40% or more (one of them an official language at home language level), two at 30% or more (one of them an official language at home or first additional language level), and at least 20% in the sixth.
• It can lead to further study, including a university endorsement.

If you change from the NSC to the Senior Certificate, you can’t change back.

When to register

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the provincial education departments publish the registration dates for each year’s May and June exams. Registration closes months before the exams start, so check the dates early.

• Senior Certificate (adult matric): on the DBE’s registration page.
• NSC rewrites, and registering in person: on your provincial education department’s website, or ask your district education office. Provinces can set different dates for registering in person.

Some provinces, such as the Western Cape, say they don’t accept late applications.

How to register

• In person: at a provincial education office, a district office or a circuit office. NSC part-time candidates register this way.
• Online, Senior Certificate only: on www.eservices.gov.za. You need a valid South African ID number, an email address and a cellphone for a one-time PIN. Uploads can be up to 512 KB each, as PDF, JPG, PNG or TIFF files.

The DBE asks for:

• a completed registration form,
• a certified copy of your ID, birth certificate or (for foreign candidates) passport,
• a copy of your previous highest qualification if you are repeating, and
• your earlier examination number, if you wrote before.

Free classes: the Second Chance Matric Programme

The DBE’s Second Chance Matric Programme supports people who haven’t met the matric requirements, with face-to-face classes at centres, online lessons, and TV and radio broadcasts. It covers subjects such as Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy, Physical Sciences, Accounting, English First Additional Language and more. The DBE says the programme is free.

Signing up for the classes doesn’t register you for the exam. Register for the exam separately, before the closing date.

Ask about the programme at SecondChance@dbe.gov.za or by SMS or call on 063 696 7246. The DBE call centre is on 0800 202 933.

After you pass

Better results can open doors to a TVET college, a university, or NSFAS funding. To see the pass type and the APS your marks give, use our APS and matric pass calculator.

Stay safe

The Second Chance Matric Programme is free. The DBE says it doesn’t endorse private services that charge for them. Don’t pay anyone to register you or to “guarantee” a pass.