Cape Town - A blunder by the Department of Basic Education could scupper the preparations of nearly 4 500 part-time matric candidates in the Western Cape due to write the two life sciences exam papers.
The error was made by the Department of Basic Education in a letter it sent to matric pupils, which outlined the content to be assessed in the two life sciences exam papers.
Jessica Shelver, spokeswoman for Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, said the Department of Basic Education had informed the provincial education department of the error on Monday, days before candidates would be writing the first life sciences paper on Friday.
The class or 2014 are the first to write exams based on the new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (Caps).
On Monday, the Department of Basic Education indicated that the information in the candidates’ letters “was inadvertently based on the previous content framework” and not on the Caps for life sciences.
It was indicated that environmental studies would be included in paper two, while it forms part of paper one. The provincial education department was asked to inform candidates of the error.
Shelver said the error should have no impact on the 24 906 full-time life sciences candidates as their teachers would have worked from exam guidelines containing the correct information.
“Our concern is for the 4 338 private candidates who do not attend school full-time and mainly study from home.”
Text messages were sent to these candidates.
She said if there were candidates who had changed their numbers or lost their phones it could be possible that they would prepare for paper one, based on the letters they received, not knowing that some of the content they expected to be in paper two would be in paper one.
Department of Basic Education spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said pupils would have known all along that they had to follow the exam guidelines, adding it was unlikely pupils would be adversely affected.
The exams have entered the final stretch and were expected to conclude on November 28.
Marking was expected to take place from December 5 to 14, and 3 099 markers have been appointed.
Competency tests for teachers who wanted to work as markers were conducted in 10 subjects.
A total of 520 mark checkers were appointed.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is scheduled to announce the national and provincial results on January 5, and candidates are expected to receive their results on January 6.
Cape Argus