The Head of the assessment body is responsible for the appointment of markers. Markers at public assessment bodies are appointed in terms of any other additional criteria as determined and approved by the Head of the assessment body or his or her representative.
The process of appointing markers must commence at least six months prior to the commencement of the specific marking session.
This will allow for the verification of the marker's credentials, as well as for training, should this be necessary.
Any person appointed as a marker must declare with the Head of the assessment body whether he or she has an immediate relative sitting for a National Senior Certificate examination in the year of appointment.
After having made such declaration, the marker may be allowed to mark, but he or she may not mark the examination answer script of an immediate family member.
Each of the marking centres has strict security measures in place at all times to protect the integrity of the examinations.
Each year, to ensure there is the highest possible standard of marking during examinations and that all the markers are both competent and experienced in their subject fields, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) arranges a competency testing programme for markers.
The competency tests are done in seven subjects: English, Mathematics, Physical Science, History, Life Sciences, Accounting and Business Studies.
To ensure a uniform, high standard of marking, a percentage of scripts and markers will also be moderated by senior markers appointed for this purpose.
Once the marked scripts have been checked by mark checkers, the marks are then uploaded onto a national database.
In the last week of December, a National Standardisation meeting takes place where marks for various subjects are standardized and approved by UMALUSI. Standardised decisions are then uploaded onto the national database to determine the results nationally.
Once the information is checked and verified, UMALUSI declares the results fit for publication.
The provinces then check the results before they can be released for publication. Results are expected to be released before the end of December each year, unless otherwise. Schools collect the results from district offices on the morning of the release.
They are then asked to analyse the results and check for any errors. At 12:00 candidates will then receive their individual results.
