As October approaches, 77,442 candidates in the Western Cape are preparing to sit for the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, which begin on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.
This year’s cohort reflects an increase in full-time matriculants, showing a growing commitment to education across the province. Of the total number, 67,606 are full-time students, while 9,836 are part-time or repeat candidates—an increase of 3,231 full-time candidates compared to last year.
A total of 112 exam papers will be written during the assessment period, which will conclude on November 26, 2025. The first paper will be the Computer Applications Technology (CAT) Practical exam, with 12,736 candidates participating. Mathematical Literacy remains the most popular subject, with 53,206 candidates registered for Paper 1 on Friday, October 31, and Paper 2 on Monday, November 3.
There are also rare cases of underrepresentation, with only one candidate registered each for Sesotho First Additional Language and Setswana Home Language.
A total of 473 examination centres will host the tests, supervised by 2,046 trained invigilators. Afterward, 4,190 markers will assess approximately 954,000 scripts when marking begins in early December.
Western Cape MEC for Education David Maynier expressed appreciation for the dedication of educators and examination officials.
“We appreciate the incredible work that our examination officials do each year to ensure that the exams run smoothly. Our matrics and their teachers have also put in a tremendous amount of work to prepare for these exams, so we appeal to everyone in our province to put the best interests of our candidates first during the exam period. We wish our candidates all of the best for the final days of revision and look forward to celebrating with them when the results are released,” he said.
The national Minister of Education will announce the national and provincial pass rates on Monday, January 12, 2026, with individual results to follow the next day. This will mark an important milestone for learners and schools as they reflect on the year’s academic progress.
