2022 Systemic test results show interventions are working

We published the 2021 systemic test results last year, which revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic caused devastating learning losses, which were most severe the Foundation Phase.

These results did not surprise us, given the amount of teaching and learning time our children had missed, and we were determined to reverse the trend and get our learners #BackOnTrack.

The results of the 2022 systemic tests are now available, which demonstrate that we have made positive gains in some Grades and areas, and also indicate that further interventions are necessary across all the phases in order to fully recover.

Systemic Testing

We are the only province to conduct systemic testing in Mathematics and Language, which give us a consistent record of improvements and declines in our learners’ skills, and allow us to determine the success of any changes we make to the system.

These are conducted each year in Grades 3, 6 and 9, and are an important resource for our department – especially our teachers.

The tests are internationally benchmarked and administered, marked and moderated externally to ensure objectivity and to provide a credible and relevant benchmark for evaluation.

2022 results

The 2022 Western Cape systemic test results show that our recovery interventions are having an impact, particularly in the Foundation Phase.

Relative to the 2021 results, the Grade 3 Mathematics pass rate and average scores increased significantly, as did the Grade 3 Language pass rate and average scores.

Improvements relative to the 2021 results were also seen in the Grade 6 Mathematics pass rate and average score, the Grade 9 Mathematics average score, and the Grade 9 Language pass rate and average score.

We have successfully avoided any further slide in results, limiting the knock-on effects of learning losses in these areas. There is nonetheless much work still to be done to return scores in these grades to pre-pandemic levels, and surpass them.

The significant drop in both the pass rate and average score in Grade 6 Language, and the drop in the pass rate of Grade 9 Mathematics, are of serious concern.

We will be applying the analyses of the 2022 results, to better inform our interventions going forward. The great value of these tests is that they allow the Department to identify specific areas where work is needed to improve our learner’s abilities in these key subjects.

We congratulate the schools and teachers who achieved improved results under challenging circumstances, and the officials working hard to plan and implement the interventions needed to improve.

I am confident that we can continue to build on the improvements in the year ahead.

#BackOnTrack interventions

In the wake of the 2021 results, we implemented a variety of interventions, particularly in the Foundation Phase. These interventions were planned and funded with the sole purpose of improving our children’s Mathematics and Language skills.

The list of interventions is extensive but some of the highlights include the implementation of a synthetic phonics approach to reading, the establishment of a structured home language programme, the rollout of Reading for Meaning programmes and training, and the launch of the Mathematics Strategy.

And we allocated an extra 2 hours per week to reading and 1 extra hour per week for Mathematics, for all Grade 1 to 3 learners in the province – amounting to an increase of at least 60 learning hours per learner in these subjects over the 3rd and 4th term of 2022.

We are pleased that the Department of Basic Education has now released Circular S5 of 2023 – Guidelines on the Adjustment of Instructional Time for Languages and Mathematics in the Foundation Phase for the Purpose of Curriculum Recovery – which guides schools nationally on implementing our #BackOnTrack time allocation model  so that the unequal impact of learning losses can be addressed for learners in all provinces – not just in the Western Cape.

We are now using the 2022 results to design and implement a substantially expanded #BackOnTrack programme, which will cover all grades and bring together all stakeholders – officials, teachers, parents, and learners – to reverse learning losses. We will also use the 2022 results to target programmes to specific schools requiring extra support.

The interventions will include specialised teacher training, bridging programmes, revision camps and tutoring, additional resources and equipment for teachers and learners, parental support programmes, and piloting adjustments in subject time allocations in grades other than the Foundation Phase.

I will announce the details of these interventions, as well as a significant budget allocation to implement the plans, during my Education budget speech on 29 March 2023.

We must all work together to get our learners #BackOnTrack as soon as possible!

2022 systemic test results

Grade 3:

Grade 6:

Grade 9:

Media Enquiries: 

Kerry Mauchline Spokesperson to Minister David Maynier Western Cape Ministry of Education Kerry.Mauchline@westerncape.gov.za