TODAY matric pupils will write Computer Applications Technology (CAT) paper 1 in the 2024 National Senior Certificate examinations.
According to the Department of Education, 172 433 full-time and 34 986 part-time candidates are writing the exams, which started on Monday with English paper 3 and Afrikaans paper 3. Both papers were for essay and transactional writing.
Pupils at Star College in Westville said yesterday morning's English paper was better than they expected.
“The first paper was good. It helped relieve a lot of my nerves for these exams," said 17-year-old Abhishay Rampersad.
He has been provisionally accepted to study actuarial science at a few universities he had applied to.
"But I would like to go to Wits University because it is my first choice."
Hayley Packaree, 18, said writing English paper 3 was "stressful" as it was the first of the final exams but overall, it was a good paper.
She felt positive and confident about the rest of her papers as they are "nicely spaced out".
“I am considering studying chartered accounting or medicine. I have already applied to the five major universities in South Africa.”
Darshan Reddy, 18, the deputy head boy, described English paper 3 as "pretty good".
"I expected the essay topic and prepared for it. I wasn't pressed for time as I usually am. I feel relieved that it is over because paper 3 carries the most weight."
He said he wanted to study computer engineering or mega-tronics, but it depended on getting a bursary.
Talia Nair, the head girl, said the only "stressor" for her now was English papers 1 and 2 (language and comprehension; and literature and poems, respectively).
The 18-year-old said English paper 3 felt better than she expected and she hoped she performed well.
“You don't know how prepared you are until you see the exam but I started preparing well in advance. I hope my hard work pays off in the end."
The school's headboy, Aqil Heeralall, said: “I'm most worried about languages and IT. I hope the papers go well."
He said English paper 3 was "good".
Aqil hopes to study medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Shreyansh Behara, 18, said: “The first paper was better than I expected and I enjoyed writing it. Based on how this paper went, I feel the rest of the exams should go more or less the same."
He plans on studying mechanical and mega-tronics engineering as a hybrid degree at UCT.
The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, will release the results on January 15, 2025, with KwaZulu-Natal releasing its results the following day.