The South African IEB
What is the IEB?
With only a scattering of truly international schools in Western Cape and Gauteng provinces, including just three International Baccalaureate diploma programme (IBDP) schools, many families arriving from overseas choose South African schools and the IEB (Independent Examinations Board) leaving certificate (‘matriculation’).
A few independent schools offer Cambridge AS and A levels in grades 11 and 12 as an alternative to the IEB matric.
How does the IEB differ to the NSC?
In theory, all state and independent schools in South Africa, if not following an international curriculum, teach the government’s National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum.
In grade 12 (‘matric year’) this leads to either the National Senior Certificate (‘NSC matric’) taken by nearly all state schools or, in over 250 private schools, to the NSC examined by the IEB (and referred to simply as the ‘IEB matric’).
In practice, IEB schools teach the subjects in more depth and push students harder, with the exams calling for critical thinking and application of knowledge rather than regurgitating of facts.
IEB matric exams are benchmarked by UK ENIC (the UK’s national agency for international qualifications and skills) and are rated equivalent to Cambridge AS levels (rather than A levels).
Both IEB and NSC are accredited by Umalusi, the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training.
What comes before?
Independent schools often develop their own primary school curricula, roughly following CAPS, but preparing their students for the more rigorous IEB exams to follow. A few choose to teach the more demanding Cambridge primary curriculum, especially for English, maths, and science.
Over 100 schools are part of the IEB’s primary school initiative (psi) offering benchmarking opportunities in core skills (non-curriculum) at grades 6 and 7, as well as international tests in English, maths, science, and reasoning from grades 3 to 10, in conjunction with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).
What is studied in the IEB?
The matriculation, studied in grades 10 to 12, consists of at least seven subjects including maths, a home language (English or Afrikaans — some schools teach mostly in Afrikaans), a first additional/official SA language (usually Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu or Sepedi depending on location), and life orientation (human and social studies).
On top of that, there’s a minimum of three optional subjects; if you’re lucky not just a (second additional) language and a choice from a set list of geography, history, life sciences and physical sciences (chemistry and physics) but options that include hospitality studies, accounting, tourism, sports and exercise science, nautical science, equine studies, and engineering graphics and design. At top-performing schools, it’s common for students to choose up to 10 subjects (though some schools charge extra after seven).
International students (AKA ‘immigrant candidates’) arriving from grade 7 onwards can get an exemption from the first additional language requirement and take an extra subject instead (which could be a European language, if available).
Grading and results
The Matric result is based on a combination of practical and written exams, with preliminary exams (‘prelims’) taken earlier in grade 12 acting not just as mocks but accounting for 25 per cent of the final mark. University admissions departments also use them to help assess applicants ahead of their final mark being available.
Most agree that the IEB is more diverse, interesting, and relevant to the modern world (than the NSC), but it is not as academically demanding as A levels or the IBDP.
Further studies
The IEB offers ‘further studies’ courses in grades 11 and 12 in physics, maths, and English, rated equivalent to A levels by UK ENIC, and quality assured by Stellenbosch University. Designed for ‘academically gifted children’, they are often partly self-taught and seen as good preparation for independent university study.
Going to university with the IEB
Around 80 per cent achieve a bachelor’s pass in the matric, which is needed to enter university in South Africa. Inevitably, the top institutions demand substantially better results and the focus switches to the number of distinctions (minimum 80 per cent) achieved. These are the results that get students into the most competitive courses (including medicine, LLB law, data science, finance) in the best-regarded universities in the country; University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University (Stellies) in the Western Cape, and University of Pretoria (known as Tuks) or University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Johannesburg. Some universities even allocate student accommodation (‘res’) to those with the highest scores (with the rest going into private halls of residence or living at home).
Is the IEB recognised by universities worldwide?
One understandable concern is whether the qualification is recognised around the world. With a good IEB pass, school leavers embark on degrees in well-respected institutions in the UK, USA, Canada, Europe, and beyond. In the UK, only the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and Imperial College London (ICL) state that they don't accept it on its own. They normally ask for another qualification, such as an A level, to be taken alongside or afterwards, or for a foundation course to be completed; contact admissions departments for advice. Many schools engage a university admissions consultancy firm to help their students navigate the process; sometimes it’s even included in school fees.
