Where To Find Your 2021 Matric Results

Physical Results Certificate
SMS Service
USSD System
Newspapers
Online

With the release of the 2021 Matric Results moving closer, here you can find all of the ways available to find your Matric Results after the official announcement of the results on the 21st of January 2022.

What You Need To Know

Here is all of the information you need to know about finding your 2021 matric results.

Publication Of Results

In a controversial decision, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) announced on the 11th of January 2022 that it would no longer be publishing the results of the 2021 National Matric Examinations on public media platforms. This included the publication of results in newspapers, as was traditionally done.

The reason for this decision was stated as the publication of what is considered to be personal information, that being individual matric results, would go against the regulations of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). This decision by the DBE was swiftly challenged by a number of education boards and civil rights groups.

The choice made by the DBE was reversed however by the Gauteng High Court on the 18th of January 2022. The court ruled that it was not overstepping the POPI Act to publish results on public platforms, given students had provided express consent for the department to do so.

This means that the normal publication of results by news outlets such as newspapers would go ahead as is tradition.

How To Get Your 2021 Matric Results

The following ways are available to students to get their results:

Physical Results Certificate

Students can get their result certificates directly from the school they attended on the 21st of January 2022. To do this they will need to provide the staff at their school with their proof of identification, for example their ID.

SMS Service

Students can make use of the National SMS service provided by the Department of Basic Education. The SMS service is charged at R1.50 per SMS. To do so they must complete the following steps:

Step 1 – Send a text message to 35658
Step 2 – This message must first contain your 13 digit ID number, followed by a space, and then your unique 13 digit exam number
Step 3 – Once you have successfully completed your registration your results will be sent to your phone number when available

USSD System

Students can use the USSD service as made available by the Department of Basic Education. Standard USSD rates apply. To do so students must complete the following steps:

Step 1 – On your mobile phone dial *120*35658#
Step 2 – Answer a number of questions as asked by the USSD system
Step 3 – Enter your 13 digit ID number
Step 4 – Select either “Yes/No” to opt-in or opt-out to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act regulations
Step 5 – Your results will be sent to you per subject as they are made available

Note: You will only receive your results per subject if you chose to ‘Opt-in’ for the USSD system when prompted. If you chose to ‘Opt-out’ your results will not be sent to you via the USSD system.

Newspapers

With the ruling by the Gauteng High Court on the 18th of January 2022, students who expressly provided their consent to have their results published on public media platforms, such as local Newspapers, will be able to view their results within specified local Newspapers on the 22nd of January 2022.

Online

Students can also register to view their results on the Department of Basic Education website. This process involves two-step verification and students will need to provide both their 13 digit ID number as well as their unique 13 digit exam number.

Finding Your Old Matric Results

Current results

If you happen to be looking for your newly released results, these are the steps to follow. Keep in mind that the 2020 matric results are only due to be released in February 2021.

Check the newspaper: Some newspapers will still publish matric results, including the year 2021. A great place for you to find your results will be in the newspaper release
News 24: Luckily an online site, News24 will have their own release of the matric results in 2021
School: All schools will also be sent the examination results. If you’d prefer, you can go straight to your school to find out your final exam marks
SMS: Whether you’re in a government school or IEB, you can opt to receive your results via SMS
IEB and D of BE websites: Final results will be released on IEB and D of BE websites for all schools

Old results

For anybody who is looking for non-current results, there are still ways to find them

Fortunately, the government has a matric result archive that dates back to 2004.

All past matric results can be found here. The site is currently under construction but should be up and ready for the matric results of 2020.

Lost matric certificate

If you have lost your matric certificate, click here to learn how to get a new one!

Adult matric results

If you wrote an adult matric and are also looking for your results, the government has an archive! The site is being worked on and is currently unavailable. It should be working by the release of the next results.

Click here to view the archives.

Author: Morné van Emmenis