Essential timetable for the 2025 NSC Examinations: what matric candidates need to know
This year, 77 442 candidates in the Western Cape will sit for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations. Of these, 67 606 are full-time matriculants, while 9 836 are part-time or repeat candidates, representing an increase of 3 231 full-time candidates compared with 2024.
The exams are set to begin on Tuesday, 21 October 2025, with 12 736 candidates taking the Computer Applications Technology (CAT) Practical exam in the morning. By the time the examination period concludes on 26 November 2025, a total of 112 exam papers will have been written.
Mathematical Literacy remains the most popular subject, with 53 206 candidates writing Paper 1 on Friday, 31 October, and Paper 2 on Monday, 3 November. At the other end of the spectrum, two subjects have only a single candidate each in the province: Sesotho First Additional Language and Setswana Home Language.
Administering the exams is a complex logistical task. Candidates will write at 473 exam centres under the supervision of 2 046 trained invigilators. Marking will commence in early December, with 4 190 markers responsible for assessing a total of 954 000 examination scripts.
Western Cape MEC for Education David Maynier said, “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.”
The national Minister of Education is expected to announce the national and provincial pass rates on Monday, 12 January 2026, with individual results released the following day.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za