What are the IEB, CAPS and CIE systems?
IEB stands for Independent Examinations Board. As its name suggests, it is an independent academic assessment body.
CIE stands for the (University of) Cambridge International Examinations. This is a provider of international school-leaving qualifications.
CAPS stands for Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements. It outlines and monitors the structure of the National Senior Certificate (NSC).
NSC stands for National Senior Certificate. This is the school-leaving qualification which South African Matriculants receive upon successful completion of secondary school.
There is often a lot of confusion surrounding the differences between the IEB, CAPS and British systems. The most common concern revolves around the academic content of the various curricula and the value of the final qualification.
The first distinction between these assessment systems is that the CIE are the only assessment system established by an international assessment body. Both the IEB and CAPS systems are South African. The CIE system has, however, been adopted by several schools and many home-schoolers in South Africa.
It is necessary to mention that the IEB NSC is internationally recognised, whereas the state NSC is not. The IEB system bases its curriculum on CAPS, but does not follow the same structure as the state NSC. The IEB NSC is recognised by the United Kingdom National Academic Recognition Information Centre (UK NARIC). As such, it is considered equivalent to the UK AS-level qualification.
Contrary to expectation, the CAPS and IEB curricula do not vary dramatically. IEB students also receive the NSC upon successful completion of Matric. They do not, however, write the same examination papers as CAPS students. This is because the IEB, as an independent assessment body, is able to set its own curricula and assessment system. This does not mean that the IEB system is drastically different from the CAPS system. All South African assessment bodies are monitored by Umalusi, which ensures that their curricula and assessments are appropriate for secondary-school learners. As a result, the overall content of school subjects does not differ greatly between CAPS and IEB curricula. It is true that the Matriculation rate for IEB students is generally much higher than for CAPS students, but this has less to do with the curricula than is believed. Most schools which use the IEB system are private schools. They are well resourced and funded and the classroom sizes are small. The CAPS system, on the other hand, is used in most public schools. Public schools are typically very stressed in terms of resources and surrounded by socio-economic circumstances, such as high poverty, which hinder students from committing to their education. When these factors are taken into consideration it becomes clearer where the real differences lie. In 2011, the Mail & Guardian published an article which discusses some of these differences.
The CIE, on the other hand, are not monitored by Umalusi, because they are not conducted or assessed by a South African academic body. The CIE are set in accordance with the standards of the United Kingdom National Curriculum. This curriculum is independent of Umalusi's assessment framework. Students who, usually after two years, successfully complete the CIE are awarded with the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). They may then choose to pursue A-levels, which require a further 18 to 24 months to complete. A-levels are generally considered equivalent to first-year South African university courses.
The NSC and IEB NSC
- Since both the NSC and IEB NSC are based on CAPS, there is little difference in terms of their curricula. According to CAPS, learners in Grades 10 to 12 are required to take at least seven subjects. Of these, four are compulsory. The compulsory subjects are: two official South African languages, Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy and Life Orientation. The remaining three subjects are elected by the student. Students may choose from a variety of subjects, but not all elective subjects are offered at every school. These subjects include Dramatic Arts, History, Geography, Life Sciences, foreign languages, Information Technology, Consumer Studies and Business Studies, among many others.
In order to qualify for university entrance, students must firstly obtain a National Senior Certificate. It is important to note that obtaining the NSC alone does not enable a student to pursue tertiary education. The specific requirements for achieving the NSC are as follows:
- A minimum of 40% for 3 subjects (one of which must be the student's Home Language)
- A minimum of 30% for the remaining 3 subjects
Depending on the student's results, he/she may also qualify for a Higher Certificate Pass, a Diploma Pass, or a Bachelor Degree Pass. The Bachelor Degree Pass is the only qualification which permits university entrance.
The specific requirements for a Bachelor Degree pass are as follows:
- All subjects must be passed (this means that the overall mark cannot be lower than 30% for any subject)
- A minimum of 50% for 4 subjects
- A minimum of 30% for the remaining 3 subjects
- A minimum of 40% for Home Language and a minimum of 30% for First Additional Language
Students must be aware that there are also specific requirements for the various programmes on offer at university. In order to meet these requirements, students must ensure that their high school subjects are aligned with their tertiary field of study.
The CIE
- Students studying via the University of Cambridge will have completed their GCSE by the time they are 16 years old. They are then permitted to take up A-level courses. The first half of an A-level course is known an AS-level. Students have the option of completing their AS-levels without continuing onto A-levels. AS-levels are considered equivalent to the South African Grade 12 or Matric. A-levels could be considered equivalent to a "Grade 13". In order to qualify for university entrance, students must ensure that their choice of subjects is aligned with university entrance requirements. Most South African universities specify that a certain level of proficiency in English is obligatory for entrance. Students must also be aware of the requirements for the specific courses they wish to pursue and select their high school subjects according to these requirements. For example, university applicants hoping to pursue Medicine without high school Biology are less likely to be considered.