NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 145
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 11/02/2010
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER)
Dr J C Kloppers-Lourens (DA) to ask the Minster of Basic Education
1. Whether all examination panels follow the same prescribed guidelines
in order to ensure balanced examination papers with the right
standards; if not, why not; if so, what procedures are the relevant
details;
2. whether an examination panel is dissolved and a new panel
reconstituted if it was found that the standard of a particular
paper had been flawed; if not, why not; if so, what procedures re
followed;
3. whether her department has taken any steps to ensure that the level
of difficulty for subjects will be correct for the next National
Senior Certificate examination; if not, why not; if so, what are the
relevant details? NW153E
RESPONSE
Dr J C Kloppers-Lourens (DA) to ask the Minster of Basic Education
1. The standard for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) question papers
is derived from the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and Subject
Assessment Guidelines. These documents stipulate the learning outcomes
and assessment standards on which questions are based. In addition,
Examination Guidelines further clarify the format of the question
paper, mark allocation, assessment criteria, cognitive levels and the
scope and depth of the content to be assessed.
The National Curriculum Statement (NCS), Subject Assessment Guideline
and Examination Guideline are specific to the subject and provides the
standard to which question papers in the subject must comply.
In addition, the setting of question papers follows a rigorous process
of internal and external moderation. During internal moderation, a
subject specialist appointed by the Department of Basic Education,
moderates the question paper, memorandum and accompanying analysis
grid using a set of agreed criteria to ensure that there is compliance
to policy in all respects. This is followed by external moderation
where a team of independent subject specialists appointed by Umalusi,
the Quality Assurance Council, review the question paper, memorandum
and analysis grid to ensure that the question paper is of the highest
quality and standard.
The Department of Education also benchmarked selected question papers,
which included Physical Science, Mathematics, Life Sciences, History,
Accounting and English First Additional language, with three
international examining bodies. This exercise found that the South
African Grade 12 question papers were of comparable standards with
question papers of the same level in those countries.
2. At the end of each examination the question papers are reviewed and
if a flaw is identified, this is thoroughly interrogated to ascertain
the reasons for the flaw. The flaw could arise due to an
interpretation of the curriculum statement, the assessment or the
examination guidelines, given that this is the only the second year of
implementing the new curriculum. If however members of a panel are
found to be incompetent or negligent in the setting of the question
papers, their appointment will be immediately terminated. The DoBE
also conducts an annual performance evaluation of all examiners and
where a panel is deficient in certain skills, additional examiners are
appointed to strengthen the team.
3. Out of a total of 197 question papers written by candidates in the
2009 NSC examination, the level of difficulty was found to be
appropriate in all the question papers except for Mathematics P1,
Accounting and Physical Science. The performance in these subjects was
very poor compared to previous years.
It is important to note that with 2008 being the first year of
implementation, it was agreed that the cognitive demand of the
Mathematics question paper would be phased in over a three year
period. Hence, the Mathematics question paper was regarded as being
easy by the public in 2008. The cognitive demand of these papers was
raised in 2009, as part of the phased in plan of the DoBE. In the case
of Physical Science, it has been observed that the Physical Science
curriculum is too extensive for Grade 12 and the curriculum is
currently under review. The performance in Accounting has also been
poor and this has been identified to be a problem related to teaching
and learning of the subject, which is also being currently addressed.
The responses from the public and the candidates are useful and are
expected with the implementation of the new curriculum. These comments
will be looked at very closely and every effort will be made to make
sure that more appropriate question papers are set in 2010, in these
subjects.
Therefore I am convinced that my Department is doing all that is
possible to ensure that the 2010 question papers, in the selected
subjects are of the appropriate standard.