The error was reported countrywide by thousands of learners who had written the paper and several mathematics experts and tutors have since confirmed that the error in the paper led to the problem being unsolvable.
According to Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga the department cannot yet confirm that any errors that were made in the Maths paper 2, adding that the matter is still under investigation.
“There are concerns that have been raised by different people, some have spoken to me directly and on other platforms. We have recorded it for thorough investigation and until such time relevant committees have sat down to study the question paper and make a declaration of an error, I am not in a position to say that.”
Mhlanga explains that once a paper has been written, there is an informal memo discussion comprising of learners and subject teachers to see how the former fared in the exam.
He says that if the relevant parties do find that this was an error, markers will be told to ignore the question. The department would then remove the question entirely and adjust the total marks of the paper.
“For example, if the paper was out of 100 and the question was work 10 marks, the exam would instead be marked out of 90.”
Parents and learners have expressed that it is not only the marks that are of concern but rather the impact it had on the learners who struggled to answer the question which wasted valuable time.
Due to this, some parents have called for the exam to be rewritten entirely, however, Mhlanga stresses that this was not a viable option.
“Having to decide on a date for a rewrite would run into the millions just to write that one paper… So, we should not be too hasty to talk about rewriting.”
Once the investigation is complete, the department will issue a statement to confirm or deny whether there was an error in the question and steps that will be taken in accordance.
