November 2025 International Secondary Certificate and Further Studies Examination Session

The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) is pleased to announce the successful completion of the November 2025 International Secondary Certificate (ISC) and Further Studies examination session.

This end-of-year session comprised a diverse cohort of learners for both the ISC and Further Studies examinations, including Grade 12 learners, Grade 11 learners who elected to sit Further Studies examinations ahead of schedule, and repeater candidates. This cohort reflects the flexible learning pathways enabled by the ISC and Further Studies offerings.

International Secondary Certificate (ISC)

A total of 925 candidates from 23 schools sat for the November 2025 ISC examinations. This figure includes 122 part-time registrations, 17 repeat candidates, and 245 candidates from the eSwatini Special Project. These candidates formed part of a cohort that began writing the ISC examinations in 2023 through an arrangement facilitated by the Ministry of Education and Training in eSwatini.

Candidates were drawn from schools across four groupings and three countries, as follows:

·        Namibia: 8 schools – 252 candidates

·        eSwatini: 8 schools – 355 candidates

·        eSwatini Special Project: 6 schools – 245 candidates

·        Mozambique: 1 school – 73 candidates

This represents a 1.8% increase in enrolments compared to the November 2024 session. Registrations within the eSwatini Special Project declined from 290 candidates in 2024 to 245 in 2025, attributable to the withdrawal of one school due to financial and management challenges.

Examination Centres

The November 2025 examinations were conducted at 25 IEB-registered venues, comprising:

·        9 centres in Namibia

·        9 centres in eSwatini

·        6 centres serving the eSwatini Special Project

·        1 centre in Mozambique

Candidate Performance

The overall ISC pass rate was 95.6%, maintaining consistently high outcomes. The Merit pass rate stood at 75.8%, enabling the majority of candidates to access higher education institutions for degree studies.

The eSwatini cohort showed continued improvement, achieving a pass rate of 71.4%, the highest in three years, with 42.7% of candidates attaining a Merit pass.

IEB Further Studies Examinations

The IEB offers Further Studies examinations to learners from independent and public schools offering the National Senior Certificate (NSC) in South Africa, as well as to independent schools offering the ISC outside South Africa. These subjects are designed to extend and deepen learners’ knowledge beyond the NSC or ISC curricula and are typically taken by learners seeking enhanced intellectual challenge and advanced analytical, writing, or mathematical skills.

Ecctis (formerly UK ENIC) has benchmarked the Further Studies subjects and confirmed their comparability to UK A Levels, underscoring their international competitiveness.

A total of 247 schools registered to offer Further Studies examinations in November 2025, an increase of seven schools from 2024. The distribution by sector was as follows:

·        IEB-registered NSC schools: 172 (69.7%)

·        IEB-registered ISC schools: 5 (2.0%)

·        Department of Basic Education NSC schools: 67 (27.1%), of which 50 were public schools

·        Independent Online Providers: 3 (1.2%)

In total, 2 841 candidates registered for Further Studies subjects. This cohort included 321 Grade 11 candidates and 336 repeat candidates. The majority of candidates (1 972) registered for a single subject. A further 756 candidates registered for two subjects, 107 candidates for three subjects, and six candidates for four subjects.

Overall performance remained stable, with notable improvements in Further Studies Mathematics (Standard) and Further Studies Physics, and sustained performance in Further Studies English. While some year-on-year variability was observed, outcomes remained within expected ranges for mixed Grade 11 and repeater cohorts.

The subject pass rates were as follows:

Further Studies English: 90.2%, Further Studies Mathematics (Standard): 81.3%, Further Studies Finance and Modelling: 63.5%, Further Studies Matrices and Graph Theory: 65.2%, Further Studies Statistics: 57.8%, Further Studies Physics: 70.9%

Quality Assurance and Conclusion

The ISC and Further Studies examinations are quality assured by Stellenbosch University’s Unit for International Credentialling (SU-UIC). This process includes external moderation of all ISC question papers to ensure fairness, validity, rigour, and consistency. External moderators appointed by the SU-UIC also moderated the marking of the ISC and Further Studies examinations for the November 2025 session.

At its Approval Meeting held on 22 December 2025, the SU-UIC Quality Assurance Governance Committee, having considered all relevant evidence, formally approved the release of the IEB International Secondary Certificate and Further Studies results for the

November 2025 examination session. The Committee confirmed its satisfaction that the examination results were valid, reliable, and fair.

At the same Approval Meeting, IEB CEO Confidence Dikgole expressed appreciation for the SU-UIC’s support, guidance, and constructive accountability, noting that “collective stewardship underpins the integrity and credibility of the examinations.”

Professor Sarah Howie, Director of the SU-UIC, congratulated the IEB on the successful administration of its seventh examination cycle, describing the ISC as “a successful alternative  international  school-leaving  qualification  rooted  in  Africa.” Professor Sizwe Mabizela, Chairperson of the SU-UIC Standards Committee, further commended the IEB for “adhering to the highest standards of integrity.”

The IEB congratulates all November 2025 ISC and Further Studies candidates on their dedication and resilience.

“We commend the perseverance and hard work of every candidate who participated in the November 2025 ISC and Further Studies examination session. Whether repeating a subject or pursuing an alternative academic timeline, these learners have demonstrated a commitment to growth and excellence that we are proud to support,” said Dikgole. “We also extend our sincere appreciation to all participating schools for their ongoing commitment to the ISC."

The IEB remains committed to delivering a rigorous, internationally aligned qualification that equips learners for success—wherever their educational pathways may lead.

END………………………………………………………………………………………Enquiries:

CEO@ieb.co.za

Ms Confidence Dikgole

Chief Executive Officer

Independent Examinations Board

Note on the Independent Secondary Certificate awarded by the Independent Examinations Board

The International Secondary Certificate (ISC) is an international schooling qualification benchmarked by UK Ecctis and found comparable to international schooling qualifications offered internationally, including in the Southern African region. It has been evaluated by Universities South Africa (USAf) with confirmation the ISC (at merit/advanced level) meets the

minimum requirements for admission to degree study at South African public and private higher-education institutions (subject to the candidate obtaining a matriculation exemption certificate and satisfying individual higher education institutions’’ internal faculty admission requirements).

The ISC is the first and only globally orientated qualification that has been developed in Africa, by teachers who work in Africa and is designed to accommodate the contexts and worldview of African students.

The ISC is awarded by the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) a proudly South African accredited assessment body of choice for schools and adult education. The mission of the IEB is to advance quality teaching and learning through the design, delivery and promotion of innovative and relevant assessments and services. To learn more about IEB visit the website www.ieb.co.za

The 2025 ISC examinations were taken by a total of 925 candidates from 23 schools across the three countries where it is offered; Namibia, eSwatini and Mozambique.