Serious flaws have emerged in a September 2005 English additional language (higher grade) test paper in KwaZulu-Natal, the Witness website reported on Tuesday.
It said the first section of the question paper contained at least 60 errors.
The test was reportedly designed for grade-11 pupils across KwaZulu-Natal.
The Witness said it is understood that the results formed part of pupils’ continuous assessment mark, which was 25% of the final year mark.
Virtually all aspects of the paper came under fire.
A language expert noted there were at least 45 errors in the comprehension passage, and 15 in the questions that follow.
”Grammatically, the passage is defective in tense usage, punctuation, and in the usage of vocabulary, idioms and expressions.”
The Witness also quoted an experienced examiner as complaining about grammatical and word-usage errors.
Education spokesperson Christi Naude said secretary general Dr Cassius Lubisi has asked to view the paper and will comment in due course.
Provincial education minister Ina Cronje said: ”Our children deserve to have tests set that comply with the highest standard. We will investigate … and take appropriate action if necessary.” — Sapa