Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube has announced that the matric pass rate of 2024 is 87.3%. This is a 4.4% increase from the class of 2023.

Gwarube made the announcement a matric result announcement event in Randburg on Monday evening.

BREAKING NEWS | Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube has announced that the Matric pass rate of 2024 is 87.3% pic.twitter.com/DcSkZ43MgZ

— SABC News (@SABCNews) January 13, 2025

Meanwhile, top achieving students in the Independent Examination Board’s 2024 matric exam say it’s important to establish a routine early in the year of studying consistently.

Diya Ambaran and Sereen Siddiqi from Crawford International in La Lucia in Durban North are the two top achievers from their class of 91 matrics.

Two of the matrics achieved 9 distinctions, 7 had 8 distinctions, and 5 had 7 A’s.

However, Ambaran and Siddiqi emphasizes it’s important to create good memories with your friends and family.

“Know that everyone around you is going through the same thing. Your peers are all experiencing the same stress as you. So, support each other and lean on each other. And motivate one another to start studying from early days,” says Ambaran.

“A lot of work needed to be done. But I would say the most fun part of my year would be just spending time with my family. It was a good break, and that always makes me happy,” says Siddiqi.

Matric parent, Anusha Satyapal, says it’s important to teach a child to be independent in primary school so that they are self-motivated by the time that they reach high school.

Nevertheless, she adds that matric is a marathon, not a sprint.

“Make sure that he’s got enough food, snacks, and he’s getting fresh air and exercise … a healthy diet. And we try to, in the holidays in between, especially the June holidays, try to get them out of the room, out of the house, little bit of a break. So, when they come back they’ve got a fresh mindset for the trials and then the final exams. Because it’s six months of studying and exams. It’s quite grueling,” she says.

The top achievers at Helpmekaar College in Parktown Johannesburg have expressed relief and pride that they achieved great marks for the 2024 matric year.

The Independent Examinations Board – IEB – achieved an overall pass rate of 98.47% in the 2024 National Senior Certificate. This is the highest pass rate recorded in the past five years.

Aldriaan Mostert from Helpmekaar College in Parktown Johannesburg obtained 11 distinctions while Henri Britz obtained 10 distinctions.

“I’m so excited, I’m ready for the future. I’m going to Stellenbosch University this year for Electrical Engineering. Matric is no joke and my challenging subject was English home, because I’m not a language guy. So, I really struggled. I’m incredibly proud and I worked really hard through the entire year and worked constantly. And I think that helped me achieve what I wanted,” says Mostert.

2024 Matric results announcement: