An important message from Umalusi
To all candidates receiving a statement of results for:
- National Senior Certificate(NSC)
- National Certificate (Vocational)(NC:V)
- General Education and Training Certificate (GETC)
- Senior Certificate (SC)
In order to make sure that you understand what happens now that you have received your Statement of Results (SoR), it is important that you are aware of the following information:
Statements of results (SoR)
The SoR, issued at the time of the release of results by the assessment body, is not a certificate. It is a temporary document which is replaced in due course by a certificate issued by Umalusi.
The importance of accurate information
Please check that all the personal information on the SoR is correct. If it is not correct, please bring this to the immediate attention of your school principal so that it can be corrected before the certificate is issued. The certificate is issued with the personal information as printed on the SoR.
Checking the accuracy of your personal details on the SoR at this stage of the process is very important because changing the information on a certificate cannot always happen.
Your certificate
The issuing of certificates is Umalusi's responsibility and happens after the re-marking and re-checking processes have been completed, annually.
Umalusi issues two kinds of certificates after the exams:
- the Certificate in cases where the person has met all the qualification requirements, and
- where the requirements for the whole qualification were not achieved, a subject statement will be issued, which states that the person has met the minimum requirements in one or more subjects.
When to expect your certificate
- April or May of the year following the November exams, or
- In the case of March/April supplementary exams, in July or August.
Collecting your certificate
All candidates must approach their school, college or learning centre not later than 5 months after the release of results, to collect their Umalusi certificate or subject statement.
Errors on certificates
Sometimes, even with the most careful processes, mistakes do happen. So, within the six month period after certification, but not later than a year after the examination, Umalusi will consider a request for a re-issue under certain conditions:
- If there is a mistake on the certificate, with regard to some aspect of the personal details, as a result of a registration error by the school or the assessment body, Umalusi will consider a re-issue;
- If there is a mistake on the certificate, either with regard to a subject mark, subject choice or a change in result because of an error by the school or other registered institution or the assessment body, Umalusi will consider a re-issue.
Procedure for applying for a re-issue
The following procedure must be followed when applying for a re-issue:
- the request for a re-issue must be made through a public assessment body, that is a provincial department of education, or an independent assessment body;
- the original certificate, a detailed explanation supporting the request as well as the relevant documents must be submitted with the application.
Returning the original certificate when requesting a re-issue
It is important to note that a change to an original certificate will only be considered if the original certificate is returned.
Other situations where re-issuing a certificate is considered
Umalusi will consider amending certificates where:
- A person's sex-description has been altered in accordance with the Alteration of Sex Description and Sex Status Act, 2003;
- An identity document, an ID number or date of birth has been changed as a result of an error made by the Department of Home Affairs;
- The candidate is found to share the same identity number with another person, and the ID number has been changed unilaterally by the Department of Home Affairs.
Changes which cannot be reflected once a certificate has been issued
The following changes will not be considered:
- where an identity document was issued after the examination, and the personal information does not match that on the certificate;
- where a change of personal details is due to marriage or civil union;
- where a change of personal details happens through a legal process.
Always keep your Umalusi certificate safe
You should submit a copy of your certificate to a prospective employer or an institution of further learning as proof of achievement of the qualification.
And finally, having different information on your ID and on the certificate does not make the certificate invalid, as the certificate is issued against information as registered at the point of writing the examination. Therefore Umalusi also offers a verification service against which a certificate can be verified with regard to its authenticity.
Employers and learning institutions should not prevent a candidate from working or registering for study on the basis of the differences between an ID document and certificate, but should rather verify the authenticity of a certificate with Umalusi.
