Pupils, officials gear up for start of matric final exams

The 2025 matric final exams are just a week away.

In the Western Cape, 77,442 candidates will write the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams this year.

Of these, 67,606 are full-time matric candidates, while 9,836 are part-time or repeat candidates.

The National Senior Certificate exams start on Tuesday, with 12,736 candidates writing the Computer Applications Technology (CAT) Practical exam in the morning.

By the time the exams end on 26 November, 112 exam papers will be written.

The subject with the largest number of candidates is Mathematical Literacy, or "Maths Lit", with 53,206 candidates writing Paper 1 on Friday, 31 October, followed by Paper 2 the following Monday.

Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier said the implementation of the exams was a mammoth administrative exercise.

"We appreciate the incredible work our examination officials do each year to ensure that the exams run smoothly."

Four hundred and seventy-three exam centres are being prepared, with 2,046 trained invigilators appointed to keep a close eye on proceedings.