In an unfortunate development for matric students, 967 candidates who sat for the Geography Paper 2, administered by the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI), faced a "quarantine" situation after errors were identified in their question paper.
The mistakes, which amounted to 79 marks worth of incorrect questions, prompted immediate actions to mitigate the impact on students.
Originally conducted on Wednesday at 85 exam centres nationwide, the blunder came to light during the reading time before the official start of the exam at 2pm.
Chief invigilators reported discrepancies between the English and Afrikaans versions of the question paper, leading to the swift decision to confiscate the original papers and student answer scripts.
A revised version was then printed and distributed to the affected candidates, but not without repercussions.
The term 'quarantined' reflects a stark reality for these students, as it entails restriction from accessing study materials and disallowance of communication between learners.
This heightened scrutiny follows an earlier round of complaints regarding misleading questions in the Physical Science (Chemistry) paper set by the Independent Examinations Board (IEB), further casting a shadow over the integrity of the current examination landscape.
Talking to News24, Chris Klopper, the acting CEO of SACAI, acknowledged the gravity of the situation.
He stated that their organisation had faced “justifiable serious beratement” from examination quality assurer Umalusi in light of the incident.
“It is not acceptable to make such an error,” Klopper emphasised, reaffirming the commitment to maintain high standards in assessments.
IOL