Is your child ready for 2021?

In a year of disruption, adjustments and uncertainty, education in South Africa was put in the spotlight. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted many shortcomings in infrastructure and inequalities in the school system.

As we near the end of 2020, the Department of Education had difficult decisions to make in terms of year-end exams and promotion marks. They had to take into account that not all learners were privileged to continue learning during lockdown. The school calendar has therefore been adjusted and the assessment procedures have been amended.

SUMMARY of DATES:

• Term 3, which is currently under way, will end Friday 23 October

• Term 4 will start on Monday 2 November

• The 2020 academic year will end on 15 December

• The 2021 academic year will start on 25 January for teachers and a few days later (no date given yet) for students

• Matric exams will end on 15 December

• Matric results will be released on 23 February 2021

• For universities, it seems like the 2021 academic year will only start in March or April (some speculate that the 2020 academic year will only end February 2021)

ASSESSMENTS:

The following changes to the assessment process have been proposed (and will hopefully not change again):

Foundation Phase (Grades R – 3)

• School Based Assessments (SBAs) will remain unchanged

• 100% of these will count towards the promotion mark, but will only include assessments from Terms 1, 3 and 4

Grades 4 to 9

• SBAs will count 80% of the final mark

• There will be an end-of-year test series, not a formal exam, with a weighting of 20%

Grade 10 and 11

• Final promotional exams will be replaced with formal controlled tests

• School Based Assessments will count 60% of the final mark and the formal controlled tests 40%

• Grade 10 tests will be 1-hour long and Grade 11 tests 2 hours and should be set to cover a substantial portion of the curriculum

What about Independent Schools?

Independent schools have the discretion to act independently and most of these schools were able to stick to the pre-determined term schedules. Learners were able to either physically attend school or continue via online learning for most of the lockdown. As a result, many of the schools are able to continue with year-end examinations as previously planned. Some of the private primary schools have opted to rather do test series instead of year-end exams- either way, the children will be formally accessed.

Where does this leave your child?

Although these disruptions and changes to assessment procedures affect all children, for children in Grades 7 and 11 these changes can have a more profound effect.

Grade 11 marks are used to apply at universities and other tertiary institutions and therefore the year-end assessments and SBAs are critical. In the past, SBAs contributed 25% towards the final mark, and year-end exams (which were standardised) contributed 75%. The proposed year-end controlled tests will only contribute 40% towards the final mark, and SBAs 60%.

These assessments are not standardised and are controlled by each individual school. The question is whether these results would be a true reflection of a child’s ability and the best tool to decide if a child is capable to study a specific course at university. And would students in schools where proper exams are written not then be disadvantaged when they apply to study at tertiary institutions?

If you have a child in Grade 7, the question would be whether your child is ready for the big step to Grade 8 or not. With so many disruptions in the year, it is expected that the full curriculum could not have been covered in detail. Without formal assessments (like an exam) at the end of the year, it would also be difficult to find those ‘gaps’ in your child’s education. The onus therefore rests on parents to make sure that their kids have mastered the key concepts of the fundamental subjects (Mathematics, Languages, Sciences).

In conclusion, an exam is a great tool to test your child’s knowledge and grasp of a subject, but in the absence thereof rather encourage your child to gain a real understanding of the subject matter as it will definitely be an advantage in the 2021 academic year.

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Woman writing math equations on a chalkboard, holding a notebook, with a thought bubble of the pi symbol.

Preparing for Maths Assessments

By Estelle Barnard • October 22, 2025

Mathematics rewards practice with purpose: spaced revision, plenty of self-testing, making notes, checking with feedback, and calm, consistent routines. Below you’ll find exactly how to do this at different stages of school. The Big Three for All Learners Space it out Short, regular sessions beat last-minute marathons. Plan 20–40 minute slots across the week and revisit topics before you forget them. This is known as the spacing effect (Cepeda et al., 2008). Retrieve, don’t just reread Close the book and try to solve or recall from memory. Use past questions, quick quizzes, and “write-from-memory” summaries. Retrieval practice strengthens long-term learning, especially when you check your answers (Roediger & Butler, 2011). Think about your thinking Teach learners to plan, monitor, and evaluate how they study. Simple questions like, “What will I practise today? How will I know I’ve improved?” turn revision from passive to purposeful (EEF, 2018). Primary School (Grades 4–7) Goals Build number sense and fluency (times tables, fractions, decimals). Understand why methods work, not just how to perform them. Study Rhythm Mon/Wed/Fri: 20 min mixed practice (across old and new topics). Tue/Thu: 20 min facts fluency (typically something like time tables or fractions) Weekend: 25–30 min “Teach-Back” session: learner explains one concept aloud (e.g. “How do we find a common denominator?”). High School (Grades 8–12) Goals Strengthen algebraic fluency, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, and calculus. Build exam stamina and the ability to select appropriate methods. Exam Preparation Plan Weeks –4 to –3: Cover all topics and create a spaced schedule. Weeks –3 to –2: Attempt past-paper sections; very important to check with detailed memos. Prepare an error log of frequent mistakes. Weeks –2 to –1: Interleave topics and focus more on challenging topics (e.g., trig, functions, geometry). Final Week: Short, focused recall sessions from your “error log.” The Value of Writing Your Own Notes and Step-by-Step Summaries One of the most effective yet overlooked study habits is summarising key procedures in your own words . Mathematics is full of repeatable processes: simplifying fractions, expanding algebraic expressions, finding derivatives using first principles, or completing the square in a quadratic equation. Writing out the steps helps learners form mental blueprints they can rely on in tests. Why this works Research shows that encoding information through writing and explaining strengthens understanding and recall (Dunlosky et al., 2013; MIT Teaching + Learning Lab, 2020). When learners create their own step-by-step summaries: They engage in sense-making, not just copying. They uncover misconceptions early. They connect formulas with reasoning (“why does this step come next?”). They create a quick reference guide for revision. Examples: Simplifying fractions: Find common factors → Divide numerator and denominator → Check if it can simplify further. Completing the square: Divide so that x squared stands on its own →Take the constant term to the right-hand side →Add half of the coefficient of x squared to both sides → Factorise the left-hand side to form a perfect square → Simplify and solve for x. Visualisation and Trigonometry Trigonometry can be tricky until you visualise how angles behave on the Cartesian plane . Remember: in trigonometry, angles are measured from the positive x-axis , moving anticlockwise for positive angles and clockwise for negative ones. (See the labelled diagram above, showing where each trigonometric ratio is positive or negative, including the reduction formulae.) Using StudyChamp Resources Effectively StudyChamp’s detailed memos and step-by-step worked examples make maths study easier: Compare your solution to the memo. Highlight key reasoning steps. Add the process to your “Maths Procedures Notebook”. By exam time, that notebook becomes your own personalised study guide: practical, and written in your own words. References Cepeda, N. J., et al. (2008). Spacing effects in learning: A temporal ridgeline of optimal retention. Psychological Science, 19(11). Dunlosky, J., et al. (2013). Improving Students’ Learning With Effective Learning Techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning Guidance Report. Roediger, H. L., & Butler, A. C. (2011). The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(1). MIT Teaching + Learning Lab. (2020). Note-Taking and Sense-Making Strategies. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.