The following learners qualify to register for the Senior Certificate exams for adults:

Adult learners who are 21 years and older:

1. A General Education and Training Certificate (GETC) for Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET); or
2. A Grade 9 (Standard 7) school report, stating that they have passed Grade 9; or
3. A recognized equivalent qualification obtained at NQF Level 1, which requires two official languages.

Adult learners who are 21 years and older who have passed some subjects for a Senior Certificate or a National Senior Certificate, who:

1. Need to complete a Senior Certificate qualification;
2. Have an incomplete National Senior Certificate, and whose School-Based Assessment (SBA) has expired;
3. Candidates who did the NSC in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 may apply to register.

In exceptional cases, Youth who are 18 to 20 years old and who are not in school can apply to the Head of Education in the province to write the exams if they have one of the following:
(Candidates cannot register online and must register by completing an application form)

1. A General Education and Training Certificate (GETC) for Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET); or
2. A Grade 9 (Standard 7) school report, stating that they have passed Grade 9; or
3. A recognized equivalent qualification obtained at NQF Level 1, which requires two official languages.

Timetable not available

Candidates can register to write exams for one or more subjects that appear in the lists below.

You need to write 6 subjects and pass at least 5 subjects to qualify for a Senior Certificate.

You can register to write exams for at least one of the subjects, and a maximum of six subjects in one year.

PLEASE NOTE: Information Technology (IT) is no longer offered as a registered subject in the Western Cape.

Candidates can only register for Computer Applications Technology (CAT) at an institution that offers the subject and not online.

Table A: Official Languages at Home and First Additional Level

Table B1: Agriculture

Table B2: Business, Commerce and Management Studies

Table B3: Human and Social Studies

Table B4: Physical, Mathematical, Computer and Life Sciences

New subject names

Please note: the names of some subjects have changed for the revised Senior Certificate. The following table compares the names that applied before July 2014 to those that now apply, for your guidance.

Pass requirements for the Amended Senior Certificate:

Adult learners 20 years and older and out of school youth 18-21 years entering the amended SC without credits must:

1. Offer a minimum of 6 subjects:
   
   1. Must include two (2) official languages, of which one must be the Language of learning and teaching (LOLT)
   2. One of the languages must be at Home Language level and the other at least at First Additional Language level.
2. Pass at least five subjects, provided:
   
   1. Obtain at least 40% in three (3) subjects which include Home Language and 30% in the remaining two subjects of the amended Senior Certificate as listed below;;
   2. Obtain a sub-minimum of 20% in the failed sixth subject in the final examination;
3. No aggregate requirement for candidates taking all six (6) amended Senior Certificate subjects.
4. One subject condonation(c) at 20%, 30% or 40% is permitted if the candidate is short of one subject to obtain the qualification.
5. No immigrant concession will be granted.

Learners with SC credits obtained prior to July 2014

1. All Senior Certificate subjects obtained prior to July 2014 can be combined provided you:
   
   1. Obtained at least 40% to qualify for a Higher Grade pass in that subject, with the exception of the Second Language Higher Grade in which at least 33,3% must have been obtained.
   2. Obtained at least 33, 3% to qualify for a Standard Grade pass in that subject.
   3. No Lower Grade credits will be recognized except when needed to affect a pass.
   4. Obtained at least 40% in Sake Afrikaans or Business English (N3 Languages) at First or Second Level (offered prior to July 2014).
2. These learners must select the remaining required subjects from the amended senior certificate subject list.
3. Subject selection must include two (2) official languages, one at First Language level and the other at least at Second Language level.

NSC candidates older than 21 with expired School-based Assessments (SBA)

1. All National Senior Certificate subjects, in which a pass was obtained, with the exclusion of Life Orientation, can be combined with the new Senior Certificate subjects.
2. No aggregate will apply for subject combinations of the amended Senior Certificate with the National Senior Certificate.
3. NSC subjects passed at 30% can be used in the combination.

Principles for combination

1. A candidate may combine any number of previous credits from the SC(a), SC, NSC or N3 languages.
2. The best 6 subjects will be used in the combination.
3. A candidate must pass at least 5 subjects in the combination.
4. Only pass subjects will be utilised for combination purposes.
5. A candidate must offer a minimum of one SC(a) subject in the combination and that subject must be passed at 30%.
6. The subminimum requirement of one subject at 20% will apply to all candidates including those requesting combinations.
7. A candidate can receive only one condonation, either on aggregate (total marks) or subject.
8. The aggregate of 800 will only apply when combining the SC(a) with SC subjects and N3 languages. No aggregate will apply for combining the SC(a) with NSC subjects.
9. Similar subjects from different qualifications cannot be used to combine results viz. Biology and Life Sciences; English Home Language | First Additional Language and Business English, etc.

Promotion requirements for combinations

1. Candidate wrote six subjects or more.
2. Pass at least five of the six subjects.
3. Pass at least one SC(a) subject in the combination at 30%.
4. The best six subjects will be used in the combination including the best two languages (one must be Home Language or First language) will be taken into consideration.
5. Pass two languages, one at Home Language or First Language level at 40% and the other on First Additional Language | Second Language level at 30%. N3 Languages passed at 40%.
6. A candidate may pass two languages at Home Language or First Language level.
7. One of the languages should be a LOLT language.
8. Obtained 40% in Senior Certificate HG subjects and 33,3% in Senior Certificate SG subjects.
9. Obtained at least 30% in the NSC subjects.
10. Satisfy the aggregate of 800 when combining to SC(a), SC and N3 languages.
11. The subminimum of 20% will only apply for the 6th subject.
12. One subject condonation (maximum 2%) at 40% or 33,3%, 30% or 20%, if the candidate is short of one subject to obtain the qualification or an aggregate condonation on 790 will apply.

Your options include studying on your own or at an adult learning centre, if they offer tuition for the Senior Certificate.

A list of adult learning centres in the Western Cape appears below. We advise you to check whether your nearest adult learning centre offers tuition for the Senior Certificate, and for what subjects.

Complete list of textbooks

​ List per Subject:

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Matric support

Exam Question Papers & Memos

Prescribed Literature