How to Upgrade Your Matric Marks in South Africa

Rewrite, re-mark or re-check? See how to upgrade your matric marks in South Africa, who can register, what it costs and how universities treat new results.

To upgrade your matric marks, you rewrite the subjects you want to improve in a later National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam sitting, usually the May/June sitting, and the new mark replaces the old one on your improved certificate. A re-check or re-mark of your original script is a different, cheaper route that only corrects errors in marking or adding up. Most universities accept upgraded results, but your plan should start with the marks you need, not with the exam you hope to write.

This guide explains the routes, who can register, what the official fees look like, how timing works and what an upgrade does to your university application.

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TL;DR

Upgrading means rewriting subjects. Re-checks and re-marks only confirm that your original script was marked and totalled correctly.
You must have registered for the subjects in a previous November NSC exam. Registration for the May/June sitting closes in early February each year, so plan in November and December.
Official fees are listed by government: a re-check costs R30 per subject and a re-mark costs R116 to R120 per subject. Rewrite fees and private tuition costs are set separately.
Universities generally accept improved results, but some limit you to one upgrade or rewrite attempt. Check each institution’s rules before you register.
Work out your target APS first, so you rewrite only the subjects that move you across the line.

Upgrade, rewrite, re-mark, re-check: what each one means
Who can upgrade matric marks
How the rewrite route works
Paid rewrite centres and free support
How universities treat upgraded results
Work out which subjects are worth rewriting
Perspective: rewrite with a target, not a hope
See where your marks stand before you register
Timing: when you will know and when to act
FAQ
Sources

Upgrade, rewrite, re-mark, re-check: what each one means

These words get mixed up, and a mix-up can cost you a registration window.

Upgrading or rewriting means sitting the exam again in one or more subjects. This is the only route that changes your result. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) describes the Second Chance Matric Programme as support for learners who want to rewrite subjects or complete outstanding requirements, and says it helps candidates meet the requirements of the NSC or the Senior Certificate (SAnews).

A re-check makes sure your marks were correctly added and captured. A re-mark sends your script to be assessed again by a marker. The government’s own FAQ draws exactly this line (gov.za).

Viewing your script lets you see the paper and the marker’s work. It does not change anything by itself, but it can tell you whether a re-mark is worth paying for.

Route	What it does	Can it change your mark?	Official fee
Re-check	Confirms marks were added and captured correctly	Only if there was an adding or capturing error	R30 per subject
Re-mark	Script is assessed again	Yes, up or down, if the marking differed	R116 to R120 per subject
Viewing	You see your marked script	No	R220 to R230
Rewrite (upgrade)	You sit the subject exam again	Yes, a new mark is recorded	Set by the exam sitting you register for

The fees above come from the government FAQ on improving matric results. Provincial departments can update amounts, so confirm on your provincial education page before you pay.

Should you ask for a re-mark first?

If your mark is a few points under a threshold that matters, for example 49% when you need 50% for a rating of 4, a re-mark can be a sensible first step. It is cheap compared with a full year of rewriting. But a re-mark is a gamble on the marker, not a way to learn more content. If the gap is large, or the subject is one you struggled with throughout the year, a rewrite is the honest answer.

The timing matters too. Re-mark and re-check applications have their own short deadline after results are released, and your provincial department publishes it. Do this before you commit to rewriting, because the outcome can change what you need to rewrite.

Who can upgrade matric marks

The rules are more open than many learners think.

Learners who want to improve results and adults studying towards matric can register for the Second Chance Matric Programme. You submit a completed form, a copy of your ID or passport, and your previous highest qualification (SAnews).
Part-time candidates who want to improve earlier NSC results can register for the NSC exams if they are still NSC candidates (Department of Basic Education).
Age is not a barrier. The programme has no age restriction, although it mostly targets learners aged 21 and above with Grade 9, 10 or 11 qualifications, or ABET Level 4 (Vuk’uzenzele).

The key condition is that you must have previously registered for the subjects in a November exam. The DBE makes an exception for eligible absentees with valid external paper marks (DBE). In practice this means you cannot add a subject you never took. You can only improve one you already wrote.

How the rewrite route works

Which exam sitting

The old February/March supplementary exams have been replaced by the May/June NSC cycle. That sitting is meant for candidates who want to improve their results and for those who missed the exams for valid reasons (DBE). You can also rewrite in the November sitting by registering as a part-time candidate, which gives you a full year to prepare.

The Western Cape Education Department notes that its May/June sitting is open to all candidates who wrote the November NSC exam from 2008 onwards (WCED). That is useful if you finished school years ago and wonder whether you are too late. If you wrote the November NSC exam, you are probably still in time.

Registration timing

Registration runs on a yearly pattern. It opens around the start of November and closes in early February for the May/June sitting. For the 2026 cycle, it closed on 6 February 2026 (DBE). Late applications are generally not accepted, so do not plan to register in the last week.

Check your provincial education department page for the exact current opening and closing dates, and for whether you must register online or on a hard-copy form at a district office.

Step by step

Get your Statement of Results. You can check results on the DBE website, or get your statement from the school or exam centre where you wrote (DBE).
Decide which subjects to rewrite. Use your target APS, not a general feeling that your marks are low (see the next section).
Collect documents. A completed form, a certified copy of your ID or passport and your previous highest qualification.
Register before the closing date through your provincial department.
Prepare. Choose between self-study, free DBE support resources or a private rewrite centre.
Write, then track your results on the DBE site or from your exam centre.

How many times can you rewrite?

There is no limit on how many times you can register to rewrite subjects through the Second Chance Matric Programme until you are satisfied with your results (Vuk’uzenzele). The limit that matters is a different one: some universities only count a certain number of attempts, covered below.

Paid rewrite centres and free support

Many private colleges and tutoring centres offer matric rewrite and upgrade classes, usually part-time or online. They can give structure, past-paper practice and accountability, and for some learners that is worth paying for. Fees vary widely between providers, so ask for the full cost in writing, including exam registration and materials.

The DBE urges learners to use its official platforms for accurate information, and it says it does not endorse private services that charge for taking part in the programme (SAnews). The practical reading: the exam registration itself goes through the department. A private provider is paying for teaching, not for access to the exam. Be wary of anyone who says you must pay them to be allowed to register.

If you want to compare accredited private options, the AskSmarty directory lists private colleges with their accredited courses and registration details, for example Umbilo Private Technical College and College SA.

How universities treat upgraded results

The government says improved matric results give learners the potential to gain admission to TVET colleges and universities (Vuk’uzenzele). The details sit with each institution.

The legal baseline. A Bachelor’s degree needs an NSC with at least 30% in the language of learning and teaching, and a rating of 4 (50 to 59%) or better in four recognised 20-credit subjects (DBE). If you missed a Bachelor’s pass because of one subject at 48%, a single rewrite can change your whole pathway.

The programme-specific bar. Beyond the baseline, each course sets its own Admission Point Score (APS) and subject requirements. Your upgrade has to clear that bar, not just the general one.

Attempt limits. Wits University, for example, states that it only considers one matric upgrade or rewrite attempt and that applicants attempting a second time will be unsuccessful (Wits). Other institutions have their own wording. Read the admissions page of every university on your list before you commit to a second or third rewrite.

Which results are used. Institutions differ on whether they use your best marks per subject or your combined certificate. When you rewrite, keep every statement of results. You may need to upload them all, as some institutions ask applicants who wrote Grade 12 more than once to upload their combined results at the end of the application (University of Johannesburg). That page is for international applicants, so check what your target university asks of South African applicants.

To see how choices and applications fit together, you can explore university options while you plan which subjects to rewrite.

How universities treat upgraded results — overview diagram

Work out which subjects are worth rewriting

This is where most learners lose time. Rewriting five subjects when one decides your fate is a heavy load, and a heavier load can lower every mark.

Pick your target course first. Find the APS and the subject requirements, such as Mathematics or Physical Sciences at a given level.
Calculate your current APS. Add up your points using the university’s own method, because institutions weigh Life Orientation and other subjects differently.
Find the gap. How many points short are you, and in which subject?
Pick the cheapest points. A subject where you scored 48% and know the material is a better bet than one where you scored 28% and never understood the work.
Re-check the plan. After a rewrite, will you clear the bar with a margin? A target that needs 90% in a subject you passed with 55% is not a plan.

Here is how that looks with real course targets. A Medicine applicant should look at the medicine entry requirements guide, where the bar sits far above a general Bachelor’s pass. A learner aiming at a place at Wits can compare 30, 34 and 44+ APS in the Wits APS requirements guide. Someone eyeing the Free State can use the UFS application guide. For other fields, see the psychology, architecture and journalism guides.

A worked example

Say you finished with 52% in English Home Language, 47% in Mathematical Literacy, 55% in Life Sciences, 51% in Geography, 60% in Life Orientation, 49% in Business Studies and 58% in isiZulu. Three subjects sit just under a rating of 4. A course that wants four subjects at rating 4 or better might be within reach if you lift one or two of those near-misses by a few points. That is a much smaller job than “redo matric”, and it shows why the gap analysis comes before registration. These marks are an illustration, not a real learner’s results.

Perspective: rewrite with a target, not a hope

We built AskSmarty because we kept seeing the same pattern: learners decide to upgrade before they know what the upgrade needs to achieve. They rewrite everything, pay for classes and then find that the course they wanted needs a subject they never took, or a score a rewrite cannot realistically deliver.

Our advice is simple. Start from the programme, not from the exam. Enter your marks in a calculator, see which of the 1,700-plus programmes you already qualify for, and then see how many points a rewrite would add. You may find that your marks already open doors you did not know about, such as a different course at the same university, a college route or a bridging or access programme. Rewriting is a good choice when the gap is small and specific. It is a poor choice when the real issue is that you picked a course that does not fit you.

One more point, on privacy. Your marks are personal, and you should not have to hand them to a stranger to find out where you stand. That is why our tool keeps your marks on your own device.

— Nkosi

See where your marks stand before you register

AskSmarty is a free, independent guide to university and college programmes in South Africa. You enter your matric marks, and the tool shows the programmes you qualify for, with entry requirements, deadlines, application fees and links to the official application portals. Your marks never leave your device, and there is no account or fee. Try it at AskSmarty before you pay for a rewrite, then run it again with your target marks to see what a rewrite would unlock.

If you are curious about access routes, programmes such as the BSc Access Programme in Accounting at Eduvos or the Bachelor of Information Science at UNISA show how requirements differ by institution and course.

Timing: when you will know and when to act

Plan backwards from the application deadlines of the universities you want. If you rewrite in the May/June sitting, results come out later in the year, and many universities have already closed first-round applications by then. Some learners apply with their existing marks and submit improved results later, if the institution allows it. Others wait a full cycle. Both can work, but you need to confirm with each admissions office, because policies differ.

For your calendar, the pattern is:

November: results from the NSC exam are used to set your gap, and registration for the May/June sitting opens.
January: NSC results are released, and you can check them on the DBE site.
Early February: May/June registration closes, with no late applications in some provinces (WCED).
May/June: the exams.

These are the usual rhythms. Always confirm exact dates on your provincial education page for the current cycle.

FAQ

Is upgrading my matric the same as rewriting?

In everyday use, yes: both mean writing subjects again to improve your marks. It is different from a re-check or re-mark, which only review your original script. Only a rewrite produces a new mark.

Do universities accept upgraded matric results?

Generally they do, and the government says improved results can open access to universities and TVET colleges. Some institutions limit the number of attempts they consider, and Wits says it only considers one upgrade or rewrite attempt. Check each university’s admission rules before you register.

How many times can I rewrite matric subjects?

There is no official limit on registering through the Second Chance Matric Programme until you are satisfied with your results. A university’s own policy on attempts is the limit that matters in practice.

How do I check my matric results online?

Use the official DBE website when results are released, or get your Statement of Results from the school or exam centre where you wrote. Keep every statement if you rewrite, since universities may ask for all of them.