The 2022 National Senior Certificate pass rate shows an increase of 3.7% from the previous year — from 76.4% to 80.1%.  

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced the results on Thursday, 19 January.  

Read in Daily Maverick: How does the class of 2022 stack up? We compare the matric results to previous years

Subject performance 

The overall performance in subjects including business studies and history decreased from 80.5% and 89.5% respectively in 2021, to 76.7% and 88.2% in 2022. 

However, the performance in subjects including accounting, economics, agricultural sciences, geography, physical sciences, mathematical literacy and life sciences improved from 2021. 

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga addresses the country’s top matrics of 2022 in Johannesburg on 19 January 2023. (Photo: Gallo Images / Beeld / Deaan Vivier)

Maths is a serial underperformer, with pupil performance dropping from 57.6% in 2021 to 55% in 2022. 

The Western Cape posted the best maths performance in 2022 (67.9%,) followed by the Free State (64.6%) and Gauteng (62.7%). 

Bachelor pass achievements 

Of the 725,146 matriculants who wrote the 2022 NSC exams, 278,814 (38.4%) obtained bachelor passes for admission to tertiary study. 

The province with the highest number of bachelor passes is KwaZulu-Natal (69,849) – despite challenges including Covid-19, floods and power cuts – followed by Gauteng (58,119) and the Eastern Cape (34,974). The Northern Cape produced the fewest (4,177). 

India Wesi, Jody van Zjil and Sohail Dharamlall, the top three matric pupils at Reddam House Waterfall in Midrand, celebrate with champagne after the IEB matric results were announced on 18 January. (Photo: Gallo Images / Beeld / Dean Vivier)

Matriculants receive their results at Stellenberg High School in Bellville, Cape Town, on 20 January 2023. (Photo: Gallo Images / Misha Jordaan)

“We must state that KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng contributed the most bachelor passes, with 69,849 — an increase of 12.9% from 2021; and 58,119 — an increase of 4.1% from 2021, respectively. When combined, KZN and Gauteng contributed 127,968 bachelor passes — an improvement of 8.7% from 2021, and 45.9% of the overall bachelor passes nationally,” said Motshekga at the announcement of the results.

Gauteng remains the leading province in terms of percentages: 43.4% of pupils achieved bachelor passes, followed by the Free State with 43% and the Western Cape with 42.7%. 

Distinctions

The class of 2022 obtained 218,730 distinctions – 3.3% more than 2021.

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The provinces with the most distinctions are:  

• KwaZulu-Natal — 72,630;
• Gauteng — 43,300;
• Western Cape — 26,428;
• Eastern Cape — 25,107; and
• Limpopo — 19,734.

The Northern Cape recorded the fewest distinctions — 1,896. DM