the national school of the arts
FET CERTIFICATE: grade 10, 11 and 12

In 2008 the Further Education and Training Certificate (FETC) replaced the Senior Certificate. Here is a summary of the information contained in the Overview and the Qualifications and Assessment Policy Framework documents. Each subject also has its own document. The whole comprises the Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades 10-12 (Schools) consisting of 57 subjects.
 

Rules of Combination

To obtain a FETC (General) a candidate must offer the following components:

1. A Fundamental Learning Component comprising:
   
   Two languages, one being a Home Language and the other being a Home or First Additional Language, provided that one of the two languages in the language of learning and teaching (LOLT)
   
   Mathematical Literacy
   
   Life Orientation.
    
2. An Elective Learning Component comprising at least three subjects selected from any learning fields.

Subjects offered by accredited examining bodies may only be offered as electives.

Capable learners may offer more than the required minimum number of subjects set out above.

Promotion and Grading

To be awarded the FETC, a learner must meet the following requirements:

• obtain “Adequate Achievement” in at least two subjects from the Fundamental Learning Component, including at least one Language at First Additional Language level;
• obtain “Partial Achievement” in the remaining two subjects in the Fundamental Learning Component;
• obtain “Adequate Achievement” in one subject in the Elective Learning Component;
• obtain “Partial Achievement” in two subjects in the Elective Learning Component; and
• One condonation is possible in one subject in the Elective Learning component at “Inadequate Achievement”.

The FETC (General) moves away from the practice of aggregation. Candidates will be promoted on the basis of fulfilling the minimum requirements in all the required subjects for the FETC (General).

There will be no Higher Grade/Standard Grade differentiation. Subject Statements contained in the Revised National Curriculum Statements Grades 10-12 (General) use three ways to show progression from one grade to another:

a) each learning outcome is followed by explicit statements of what level of performance is expected for the outcome per grade (Competence Descriptions)

b) assessment standards are arranged in a format that shows an increased level of expected performance per grade

c) the content and context of each grade will also show progression from simple to complex

Six levels of competence have been described for each subject for each of grades 10, 11 and 12. The descriptions summarise what is spelled out in detail in the Learning Outcomes and the Assessment Standards, and give the distinguishing features that fix the achievement for a particular rating.

Scale of achievement for the RNCS Grade 10-12 (General)

Rating Code	Description of Competence	Marks %
6	Outstanding	80-100
5	Meritorious	60-79
4	Satisfactory	50-59
3	Adequate	40-49
2	Partial	30-39
1	Inadequate	0-29

The FET assessment will be outcomes based and will comprise both school based (SBA or CASS) and external assessment tasks, whether for formative or summative purposes, must be directed towards the achievement of exit level outcomes and the attainment of assessment standards

The weighting of the external assessment component will be 75% and the SBA will be 25%. Life Orientation is an exception, 100% of SBA.

The FETC will form the foundation for admission into Higher Education. It should be noted, however that specific Higher Education programmes might require specific levels of achievement in Grade 12 subjects in order to allow access to those programmes.

Below is a table of all the subjects available as RNCS documents that will be offered at the NSA in 2010: