Many pupils could not understand the verbs in their matric exam questions, leading to poor answers, and the majority struggled with critical thinking.
The National Senior Certificate diagnostic report for last year's matric exams was released yesterday, giving a devastating insight into the poor quality of answers.
The report examined the answers to 11 of the most popular subjects and offered tips to help teachers improve their matric teaching.
Subjects analysed included maths literacy, second-language English, geography and economics.
The report noted an improvement in answers in the history and accounting exams.
It said answers at some schools had improved since 2015.
But in the summary it said matrics could not read well enough to understand questions, struggled to think abstractly or creatively or did not have sufficient knowledge of the subject from Grade 10 or 11. Examples of difficulties experienced and recorded in the report included:
In the English second-language exam:
- "Candidates failed to read up to the end of every question, losing marks as a result;
- Crucial instructions - such as "give a reason for your answer" or "substantiate your answer" were ignored; and
- In a question asking for a single-word answer - many used two or more words.
In the history exam:
- Many students were unable to explain what the word "amnesty" meant in the context of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings.
In the maths literacy exam:
- Some pupils couldn't differentiate between the words "the most" and "the least";
- Pupils had to work out the monthly administration fee over a 20-year loan period. They could read the monthly fee on the bank statement, but couldn't work out how many months there were in 20 years to calculate the overall fee; and
- Some candidates couldn't read bus or train timetables.
In the economics exam:
- Many responses were mainly generic and void of economics.
In the English literature paper based on the year's setwork books:
- Those who did badly might not have read their setwork book. The report said: "There were, unfortunately, still some candidates who appeared to have read the prescribed texts very superficially, if at all."
The summary said language weakness remained a difficulty for many matrics, affecting their ability to "interpret questions and source material for answers", and to frame "appropriate responses".
Most matrics found it "impossible" to answer what the department called "higher-order thinking" questions, requiring logic, reasoning or evaluation.
Pupils were unable to cope when the question required independent or creative thought, it said.
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