Matric Class of 2025 in Western Cape: Aiming for new heights after historic success

Education MEC David Maynier said the Matric class of 2025 has big shoes to fill as the previous year’s candidates made the province proud by making history with a pass rate of 86.6%, a 5.1% increase.

A total of 77,442 Western Cape candidates wrote their National Senior Certificate (NSC) between October 21 until November 27, last year.

This included 67,606 full-time (3,231 more than 2024) and 9,836 part-time/repeat candidates. Exams concluded on November 26, 2025, with 112 papers. Mathematical Literacy had the most candidates (53,206), while Sesotho First Additional Language and Setswana Home Language each had only one.

The exams involved 473 centres, 2,046 invigilators, and 954,000 scripts were marked by 4,190 markers in December.

Maynier, in wishing the class of 2025 well, said that their hard work paid off. "The wait is finally over for the announcement of the 2025 matric results!” he said.

“The 2024 results were record-breaking, with the Western Cape achieving our highest pass rate ever, and the country’s top results for Mathematics and Science.

"So our Class of 2025 has some big shoes to fill! But they have worked exceptionally hard all year, building a strong foundation for their future studies and careers. Our matric teachers have also done an outstanding job supporting our candidates.

"We are looking forward to celebrating some great results and wish our Class of 2025 all the best as they receive their results!"

For the 2024 matric exams, they received top pass rates nationally for Mathematics (78.0%) and Physical Science (79.4%), alongside a record-high overall pass rate of 86.6% for the province.

Rayyan Ebrahim, was the 2024 top learner nationally and provisionally and attended Pinelands High excelling in Mathematics and Algebra.

Cape Argus caught up with one of the matric learners for the class of 2025, Vivica Hendricks, 18, from Mitchells Plain, who attended Voortrekker High School and shared her anticipation of her results and her dreams of pursuing a career in nursing.

“The NSC exams were a wild ride for me, filled with immense emotions,” she shared.

“The journey was filled with intense preparation, long nights, and even longer mornings, where I often got only an hour of sleep before getting ready to take on the next exam.

However, I firmly believe that all the hard work and sacrifices made during this period are worth it in the end.

"I’m filled with a mixture of emotions, mainly anxiety. This is a crucial time for all of us matriculants, as it will determine our future.

"Upon receiving my individual results, I am excited to begin the next chapter of my life. I hope to attend the University of Western Cape (UWC) and obtain a degree in Nursing.”

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Cape Argus