Table 1
Comparison of the NSC and NBTs Assessments (extracted and adapted from Prince, 2016: 28).
| NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE (NSC) ASSESSMENTS | NATIONAL BENCHMARK TESTS (NBTS) ASSESSMENTS | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose of assessment | To certify NSC candidates’ achievement levels and to identify whether they meet the statutory higher education admissions criteria. To identify the extent to which school-leavers meet the curriculum statement expectations, as expressed in the Subject Assessment Guidelines. | To identify the extent to which students aiming to enter higher education meet the core academic literacy, quantitative literacy and mathematics competencies required by school-leavers on entry to higher education study. To identify how best higher education institutions could meet the teaching and learning needs of admitted students. |
| Assessment type | Mainly constructed response; partly standardized; largely summative; norm-referenced; assessment of learning; achievement assessment | Only select response (MCQ); standardized; criterion-referenced; assessment for and as learning; aptitude assessment |
| Rating or proficiency levels employed and how these are determined | Norm-referenced. Rating codes of 1–7 determined through dividing performance into 0–29% for band 1, 30–39%, 40–49%, … 70–79% for bands 2 to 6 and 80–100% for band 7 | Criterion-referenced. Proficiency levels of ‘Proficient’, ‘Intermediate’ and ‘Basic’ determined through modified Angoff standard setting method and the ‘Intermediate’ proficiency level split into ‘Upper’ and ‘Lower’ using the midpoint between the Basic/Intermediate score and the Intermediate/Proficient score. |
| How assessment scores are determined and comparability from one assessment instance to the next | In-class continuous assessment scores are combined with examination scores to arrive at the final assessment score and these are fitted to a five-year norm curve. | Assessments have common items embedded into them. Responses to items on the assessments are used to determine raw scores and the common items are used to link and equate assessments. |