University of Stellenbosch

01/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/18/2024 08:11

SU-UIC approves release of results of another successful IEB-ISC examinations

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  • The Independent Examination Board's International Secondary Certificate (IEB-ISC) is seen as Africa's first international school-leaving certificate, since the ISC's inception in 2022
  • The SU-UIC was responsible for overseeing the quality assurance processes of the examinations that were written in eSwatini, Mozambique and Namibia.
  • Examination sessions free from any systemic irregularities

    The Stellenbosch University (SU) Unit for International Credentialling (SU-UIC) is pleased to confirm the approval of the release of the Independent Examinations Board's (IEB) International Secondary Certificate (ISC) examination results conducted in November 2023.

    The SU-UIC found that the examination sessions were free from any systemic irregularities that could have compromised their integrity and that the examinations were fair, valid, and reliable.

    The SU-UIC has conducted the external quality assurance of the IEB-ISC, Africa's first international school-leaving certificate, since the ISC's inception in 2022. The November 2023 examinations was the third IEB ISC examinations to take place, the previous being November 2022 and May 2023 sitting.

    SU-UIC was responsible for overseeing the quality assurance processes of the examinations that were written in eSwatini, Mozambique and Namibia.

    MORE INFORMATION

    The SU-UIC Quality Assurance Governance Committee, chaired by Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs at SU, confirmed the approval of the release of the results of the ISC examinations (administered by the IEB-International) on the 21 December 2023, after an extensive and rigorous quality assurance process during 2023.

    The examinations took place from 18 October to 21 November 2023 where a total of 644 (572 full time and 72 part time) candidates sat for the examinations at eight different IEB registered examination centres situated in eSwatini, Mozambique and Namibia. SU-UIC moderated and approved a total of 52 question papers and related assessment documents for 31 subjects.

    Furthermore, SU-UIC verified the IEB-International's internal quality assurance processes and standardised the examination results for 31 subjects during December 2023. These external quality assurance processes ensured that the examinations are fair, reliable, and valid.

    The examination question papers for 2023 were of exceptional quality, undergoing a thorough moderation process, initially by IEB, followed by external moderation and approval by SU-UIC. The quality of the question papers is considered a critical element in ensuring the credibility and integrity of the examinations.

    SU-UIC evaluated the information provided by IEB regarding the cohort, school context, curriculum changes, feedback from internal moderators, markers, as well as information from the examination process. The evaluation of the quality assurance process revealed that the examination sessions were free from any systemic irregularities that could have compromised its integrity.

    Process

    After the marking of the examination papers, a standardisation process was implemented. The assigned committee analysed data from all 31 subjects submitted for standardisation thoroughly, considering additional contextual and curriculum information.

    Prof Sizwe Mabizela, chair of the SU-UIC Standardisation Sub-committee and a member of the SU-UIC Quality Assurance Governance Committee noted that "We want to bring every ounce of integrity to this process and are committed to working cooperatively to ensure quality of assessments is at the appropriate level.". Prof Crain Soudien, Chair of the IEB board also noted that IEB and SU-UIC tried to exemplify "care and absolute dedication to fairness" throughout the process.

    IEB special project

    SU-UIC also undertook the external quality assurance of the IEB's special project, an additional cohort of 251 candidates (242 Full-Time, 9 Part -Time) from eSwatini schools at six examination centres. These eSwatini schools had previously participated in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations administered by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South Africa. Subsequently, an agreement was reached between the IEB, the Ministry of Education and Training in eSwatini, and the Examinations Council of eSwatini to facilitate the registration of these candidates for the IEB ISC examinations in August 2023. This decision was prompted when it became clear that these candidates would not be permitted to take the DBE NSC examinations, following the pronouncement by the Ministry of Basic Education in South Africa to discontinue offering the DBE NSC examinations beyond the borders of South Africa.

    The SU-UIC applied the same rigorous external quality assurance measures to the special project examinations with Prof Mabizela noting that the Standardisation sub-committee applied a lot of time and consideration to the eSwatini cohort when it came to the standardisation process. The standardisation decisions were applied across all cohorts to ensure fairness, credibility, and integrity of the examinations. Despite the short time that the special project schools in eSwatini had to prepare, the SU-UIC was pleased to see the positive results of the candidates, exemplifying what can be achieved with hard work and dedication.

    At the approvals meeting on 21 December 2023, Prof Hester Klopper, the Chair of the SU-UIC Quality Assurance Governance Committee stated the following:

    After considering all the information at its disposal, the SU-UIC Quality Assurance Governance Committee approves the release of the IEB- International Secondary Certificate (ISC) and Further Studies results for the November 2023 examinations. After studying all the evidence presented by the Independent Examinations Board, the Committee is convinced that no irregularities were identified or reported which might have compromised the integrity and credibility of the November IEB-International Secondary Certification (ISC) examinations administered by the IEB. Therefore, the Committee concludes that the examinations were valid, reliable, and fair.It commends the IEB for conducting another successful ISC examinations and views this as exciting times with the ISC providing increased opportunities to African students.

    Benchmarking

    The IEB-ISC has undergone benchmarking by Universities South Africa (USAf), resulting in candidates achieving the IEB ISC with merit or at an advanced level meeting the minimum requirements for admission to degree studies if offered a place at a South African higher education institution. The ISC also underwent benchmarking by UK ENIC, expanding access to tertiary institutions abroad. The ISC is deemed comparable to the UK's AS-levels, Australia's Senior Secondary Certificate of Education, and Kenya's Certificate of Secondary Education. Additionally, the Further Studies subjects within the ISC have been benchmarked for demand comparability to the UK's A-levels. Consequently, the ISC enables successful candidates to enter higher education and training institutions in South Africa, their home countries, and elsewhere in the world.

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