The Department of Basic Education released the 2024 matric results on Tuesday 14 January 2025. The class of 2024 did exceptionally well when compared to other matric classes of past years, achieving an 87.3% pass rate, surpassing the 82.9% achieved in 2023.
With the matric results getting higher and performance improving each year, how did the class of 2024 perform differently compared to the class of 2023? Take a look at the achievements of both matric classes for each year.
TOP PERFORMING LEARNERS
2024
One of the top-performing students for Matric 2024 was Owethu Shangase from John Wesley Kosi Bay Private School in Umhlabuyalingana, KwaZulu-Natal. According to The Witness, Shangase was announced as the top achiever nationally, along with Rayyan Ebrahim from Pinelands High School in the Western Cape.
Shangase achieved a total of eight distinctions in the 2024 final matric exams and is proud to represent his community, reported ECR.
“This gives recognition to a place that I come from and I do hope that a lot of things are going to happen and a lot of development in the education sector will come back because of this,” he expressed.
Ebrahim, on the other hand, said that study guides, YouTube videos and past papers assisted him a lot.
He said, “I have this drive to push for excellence in everything I do. The support from my parents, teachers and community members added to the affirmation that I could do well.”
Ebrahim achieved nine distinctions with an aggregate of 97.57%. These are the marks he got:
- Further Studies Mathematics- 99%
- Physical Sciences- 100%
- Mathematics- 97%
- Afrikaans– 97%
- Computer Applications Technology (CAT)- 97%
- Accounting- 98%
2023
Melissa Muller from Rhenish High School in the Western Cape was the overall top achiever in the Class of 2023.
For her marks, she got:
- English Home Language- 93%
- Afrikaans First Additional Language- 95%
- Mathematics- 100%
- Life Orientation- 97%
- Accounting- 100%
- Life Sciences- 99%
- Physical Sciences- 99%
DISTINCTIONS
In 2024, there were 319 651 distinctions, a 65 844 increase while the class of 2023 achieved 253 807 distinctions. KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of Bachelor passes and distinctions in the class of 2024.
PROVINCE RANKING: 2023 V 2024
2024
| RANK | PROVINCE | PASS% |
| 1 | Free State | 90.9% |
| 2 | KwaZulu-Natal | 89.2% |
| 3 | Gauteng | 88.4% |
| 4 | North West | 87.5% |
| 5 | Western Cape | 86.5% |
| 6 | Limpopo | 85% |
| 7 | Mpumalanga | 84.99% |
| 8 | Eastern Cape | 84.98% |
| 9 | Northern Cape | 84.1% |
2023
| RANK | PROVINCE | PASS% 2023 |
| 1 | Free State | 89% |
| 2 | KwaZulu-Natal | 86.4% |
| 3 | Gauteng | 85.4% |
| 4 | North West | 81.6% |
| 5 | Western Cape | 81.5% |
| 6 | Eastern Cape | 81.4% |
| 7 | Limpopo | 79.5% |
| 8 | Mpumalanga | 77% |
| 9 | Northern Cape | 75.8% |
What do you think contributed to the different results for each year?
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