Durban - Apart from the traditional subjects that pupils study as part of their matric year, some also take advanced programme courses.
The AP courses are extension courses, which are available in maths, English and Afrikaans, and can be taken by any pupil.
The assessment has been benchmarked by UK Naric (National Academic Recognition Information Centre), the UK equivalent of the SA Qualifications Authority, and is considered equivalent to the UK A-levels.
According to the results released for these courses, last year’s performance in AP maths, consisting of 1430 pupils from Independent Examinations Board schools and 1246 pupils in state schools, has been pleasing, with 79.7% achieving a pass above 40%. Of 626 pupils who took AP English, 95.5% achieved a pass mark of 40% or above, and all pupils taking AP Afrikaans received 40% and above.
Another additional qualification that was offered by German schools in Cape Town, Joburg and Pretoria was the Combined Abitur-NSC.
The qualification consists of five subjects assessed by the IEB and seven subjects assessed by the German education authorities. Through this government-to-government agreement, successful pupils in the Combined Abitur-NSC are recognised by German education authorities for entry to universities in that country, and by the South African education authorities for entry to South African universities. Of the 74 candidates, 97.3% passed with entry to degree study.
The IEB said it saw its involvement with this qualification as a means of keeping pupils in touch with global standards and developments.