While the matric class of 2020 has been commended for this achievement given the difficulties experienced last year, this figure represents a 5.1% decrease from the 2019 pass rate of 81.3%.
In actual numbers, of the 578,468 learners who wrote matric last year, 440,702 passed.
However, the DA has claimed that the "real" pass rate is a much lower 44.1%, if one considers that 997,872 students were enrolled in 2018, with less than 60% of that completing the exams.
The Free State recorded the highest number of passes with 85.1%, with Gauteng at 83.9% and the Western Cape rounding out the top 3 with 79.9%. The Northern Cape has the lowest pass rate of all the provinces with 66%.
Learners with special needs were commended for achieving over 600 distinctions, 943 Bachelor passes and 582 Diploma passes.
