The Department of Basic Education says Minister Angie Motshekga will soon make an announcement on the findings of its investigation into a matric Maths question that some learners say was impossible to answer.

Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga earlier this week said he has been confronted with a raft of complaints, insisting that the question doesn’t make any logical sense.

“There are concerns that have been raised by different people… We have recorded it for a thorough investigation. Until such time relevant committees have sat down to study the question paper and make a declaration of an error, I am not in the position to say that.” 

The question is worth seven marks. The problem with Maths Paper 2 was reported nationwide after learners had written it. There are fears that the question could affect the learners’ grades.

But should the department confirm that there was no right way of answering the question, it will be removed from the final marks.

“We’re done… the minister will make an announcement in the next two days. It was not a big issue. We have made a determination in terms of what took place, and we are going to put in place a situation that is not going to place learners’ lives in jeopardy,” Mhlanga said.

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Speaking to CapeTalk on Tuesday, Mhlanga said the matter could be easily resolved for students fearing that this question could affect their grades. He stated that, should the ministry confirm that there was no right way of answering, the question would be removed from the final marks.

So, if Question 5.1 was worth five marks, on a paper graded out of 100, matriculants would instead receive a mark of 95 instead. A rewrite of Maths Paper 2, however, remains wholly out of the question.

Hello, which question was problematic? We'll forward the query to our exam unit.

— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) November 8, 2022

SABC News