| 1. |
Curriculum Development Minute 0071/2006 informed schools of the national Department of Education's intention to conduct a national examination for Grade 11 in 2007. Exemplar papers and memoranda for Grade 11 were distributed with Curriculum Minute 0038/2007 to all schools. The national examination for Grade 11 is intended to assist schools in preparing their learners for the first National Senior Certificate examinations to be held in 2008 and the WCED thus requests that all schools participate fully in this examination.
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| 2.1 |
The Council of Education Ministers has determined that all formal written Grade 11 examinations (excluding practical and creative writing examinations) may not commence prior to 5 November, whether such examinations are set nationally or at school level.
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| 2.2 |
The national Department of Education has released a common timetable for conducting the national Grade 11 examinations in 2007. Please note that the timetable has been drawn up to ensure that the month of October is used for teaching and learning. Furthermore, the determination of dates and times has taken into account the subjects being written in the Senior Certificate examination.
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| 2.3 |
The WCED will conduct the Grade 11 examination in 11 subjects, plus Home Language and First Additional Language in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. It is compulsory for all schools that offer these subjects to write them on the date and at the time specified on the attached timetable - Addendum A. Schools must set appropriate question papers in all other subjects as per the Subject Assessment Guidelines (January 2007 - see http://curriculum.wcape.school.za/site/22/res/view/796). Schools will also be responsible for setting their own Literature question papers for the Languages offered at the school.
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| 2.4 |
The Grade 11 national examination question papers will provide the appropriate standard and scope for examining these subjects. Schools are however responsible for conducting, invigilating, marking and resulting the Grade 11 examination. No external invigilators will be appointed by the WCED.
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| 2.5 |
Schools will be provided with question papers for the mandatory subjects based upon the learner data that schools have provided to the CEMIS section of the Directorate: Research. Schools must therefore ensure that this data is accurate in terms of the number of candidates writing a particular subject. The Directorate: Examinations will disseminate a preliminary schedule to all schools in order to check for correctness of the registration data.
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| 2.6 |
Schools will be provided with one question paper from all other NSC subjects after the completion of the Grade 11 examination.
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| 2.7 |
Memoranda for the question papers will be sent to schools after the writing of a set of the papers, possibly once a week. The subject teachers will be responsible for the marking of the scripts and the normal internal moderation process must take place in all schools. Marking should be completed by 29 November 2007.
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| 2.8 |
Paper 3 of the Languages, which deals with creative writing, must be written prior to the commencement of the formal examination. Further details will follow in due course.
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| 3.1 |
The WCED will moderate a sample of the examination scripts for the mandatory subjects in December 2007.
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| 3.2 |
Schools will be requested to package 9 scripts from each subject that should include three from the top achievers, three from the middle achievers and three from the lower achievers. Schools should include learners from different classes in this sample.
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| 3.3 |
The packages of scripts will be picked up by the courier service of the Directorate: Examinations for delivery to a central moderation venue in Cape Town. Details will be provided by the Directorate: Examinations.
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| 3.4 |
Moderation will be conducted by provincial and district subject specialists.
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| 4. |
Recording and reporting
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| 4.1 |
Recording of formal assessment tasks, including the final examination, must be done as per the Addendum to the Policy Document, the National Senior Certificate: A Qualification at level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) regarding the National Protocol for Recording and Reporting (Grades R - 12) - Government Gazette No 29467, December 2006. (See Circular 0011/2007)
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| 4.2 |
Marks must therefore be recorded on a final schedule and percentages must be used to report to parents. Exemplars of mark sheets, schedules and report cards are provided in the National Protocol for Recording and Reporting. Further details will follow in due course.
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| 5. |
As we draw nearer to the National Senior Certificate of 2008, it is important that principals ensure that assessment of the curriculum is viewed in a serious light by the learners. The Grade 11 examination will provide schools with an early indication of the potential performance of the cohort of learners that will write the first National Senior Certificate in 2008. It is an opportunity for all of us to learn from the experience and provide the necessary support in the future.
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| 6. |
Please share the contents of this circular, including the timetable, with the teachers and learners.
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SIGNED: S.M. NAICKER
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2007:05:11
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