Johannesburg - Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced on Thursday that Gauteng was the top performing province in the 2018 academic year.
Motshekga made the announcement of the 2018 National Senior Certificate results on Thursday evening in Midrand, Johannesburg.
Gauteng achieved a 87.9 percent pass rate, with the Free State a close second at with 87.5%, followed by the Western Cape and North West fourth.
The province also had 8 out of the ten best performing districts nationally, while the remaining two top districts were from the Free State.
Around 800 000 learners wrote the 2018 NSC examinations.
The national matric pass rate is 78.2 percent with progressed learners included - an improvement of 3.1% compared to the 75.1 percent of the previous year.
The Independent Examinations Board results were also released on Thursday, with a pass rate of 98.92 percent.
Visit IOL's Matrics page for all the latest National Senior Certificate results and news.