How to Check Matric Results and Request a Remark in South Africa
By Muntasir • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Africa Admissions & Exams
Check your National Senior Certificate results online at the Department of Basic Education website, through the DBE app, or by SMS, then apply for a remark or recheck within about two weeks if you think a subject was marked wrong.
🎓 Results post on the DBE website and the free DBE Results app
📩 SMS your ID number and exam number to the DBE results line
💵 A recheck costs less than a remark; viewing your script after a remark costs more
⏱️ Apply through your school within the short window after results day
Check your results online, by SMS, or through the app
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) releases National Senior Certificate (NSC) results in January, about six weeks after your final matric exam ends. You check your result on the DBE website , on the free DBE Matric Results app, or by collecting your official statement of results from school.
To check online, open the DBE examinations results page and enter your 13-digit ID number together with your exam number, which appears on the admission letter your school issued before the exam. SMS and USSD access work on any basic phone: text your ID and exam numbers to the DBE results shortcode, or dial the USSD code published each results season. Both carry a small charge from your mobile network.
| Method | What you need |
|---|---|
| DBE website | ID number + exam number |
| DBE Results app | Free download, same details |
| SMS | Text ID + exam number to the DBE shortcode |
| USSD | Dial the published code and follow the prompts |
| School collection | Printed statement of results, release day |
Your school also receives a printed statement of results on release day. Collect this copy even after checking online, since you need the original document to register at a university or TVET college, apply for NSFAS funding, or request a remark.
Remark or recheck: know the difference
A recheck confirms that every answer on your script was marked and that the marks were added up correctly. It does not involve re-marking your answers. A remark sends your script to a second, independent examiner who marks it again from the start. Choose a remark if you believe an examiner judged an answer wrongly, and a recheck if you suspect an arithmetic or transcription error.
Umalusi , the council that quality-assures NSC exams, oversees the remarking process and moderates a sample of scripts before results are released. A remark can raise your mark, lower it, or confirm the original. Marks only change once the difference between the two markings passes a set threshold.
How to apply for a remark or recheck
Get the application form from your school office or the DBE website.
List only the subjects where you have a real reason to question the mark, since you pay a fee for each one.
Submit the form and payment through your school within the application window. For the 2025 NSC results, released in January 2026, the window ran from 13 to 27 January 2026, and the DBE announces a similar short window after each results release.
Pay at your school or district office. Fees differ for a recheck, a remark, and viewing your script after a remark.
| Service | Approx. fee (2025 cycle) |
|---|---|
| Recheck, per subject | R30 |
| Remark, per subject | R120 |
| View script after remark | R230 |
The DBE adjusts these fees most years, so confirm the current amount with your school before paying.
After you apply
Remark and recheck outcomes normally come back within about a month. If your mark changes, the DBE issues a corrected statement of results, and universities and NSFAS see the updated mark. Take the corrected statement to your admissions office right away if you registered provisionally on the earlier mark, since some faculties adjust offers once final marks are confirmed.
A remark only re-evaluates what is already on your script, so it will not help if you missed a subject or performed far below what you expected. In that case, look at the supplementary exam or the Second Chance Programme, which let you rewrite subjects rather than dispute a mark.