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South Africa’s Matric Class of 2025 Posts Record 88% Pass Rate as KZN Leads

The headline rate faces scrutiny over cohort completion.

Overview

  • Individual results are released to candidates on Tuesday, with newspapers publishing pseudonymised listings that show examination numbers and marks only in line with privacy rules.
  • KwaZulu-Natal led provinces at 90.6%, followed by the Free State and Gauteng, with all 75 education districts recording pass rates above 80%.
  • Over 345,000 bachelor passes were recorded even as mathematics declined to a 64% pass rate, with physical science improving to 77% and accounting slipping to 78%.
  • The IEB reported a 98.31% pass rate and attributed the slight dip to system growth, with remark applications due by 30 January and outcomes expected on 4 March pending Umalusi approval.
  • ActionSA argued a cohort-based completion rate of 57.7%, while the DBE and Umalusi stressed rigorous quality assurance and swift responses to irregularities across an exam cycle involving over one million candidates at roughly 9,400 centres.