’Tis the season of the numbers … Every January South Africa puts on its diagnostic hat and interrogates the matric results to answer the age-old question of whether the results have improved or declined.

For our contribution to the debate, we analyse the number of pupils, percentages and throughputs ºby using the 2016 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination report produced by the department of basic education and research conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). In particular, we examine grade 12 mathematics and physical science performance.

Using other sources of data, we are able to comment on the education system by taking a broader view and examining grade nine performance and the pathways that learners follow from grade nine to grade 12.